Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Heart
by Ultimate Jelly Sandwich
Summary: "They say clouds can only float one way - never the other. Once they drift away they can never come back. I wish someone had told me that before I got everyone I loved into this mess..." One Growlithe's coming of age journey through distant lands to defeat a foe aiming to take out Arceus himself, Re-uploaded. Next Chapter's up! :P For my pretties.
1. Sink or Swim

**A/N: Hey, thanks for visiting! Here's my story – it's my first, so please go easy on me if I made any major mistakes. If anyone has any advice for me as to how I could improve this, I would really like to hear it! **

**Before anyone asks, yes - this is a rewrite of my fic. A certain turd-breath who shall not be named reported it (Yeah, I found you) and it was deleted. T.T Anyways, I'm sorry to say that my previous readers will have to re-submit their characters (Via PM) because all of my data was , it is not required for all who submit. If your character does not debut in chapter 3, you will need to re-submit. **

**Again, sorry guys. ****Enjoy my remake! ^.^**

* * *

"Crap, crap, _crap_!"

Like any other morning, Artemis found himself dashing through the forest, late for training once again. He tackled through the brush, not even caring to shake off the leaves and trimmings that clung to his glossy red fur. The sun beat down on the poor Growlithe mercilessly, causing him to quickly grow tired. The elders said it would rain today; that was a lie – there was hardly a cloud in the sky.

It was barely noon, but Evergreen Forest way always hotter than usual, due to the fact that the guardian of the forest radiates a massive amount of heat energy wherever he went. None of the forest's inhabitants could complain, though; he was the _guardian_ – a legendary one at that. He kept them safe no matter what, which pretty much made up for just that minor flaw.

The only problem with it was that one Growlithe can only take so much heat in the middle of summer; he'd probably overheat before he even made it to training.

The Growlithe watched the flash of fire shoot upward into the sky and quickened his pace, knowing that class had already begun. "Man, dad is going to _kill_ me…" he sighed.

He forced himself to burst into a sprint, once again dashing through the forest. He was moving so quickly that he didn't notice the Pokémon sauntering in the opposite direction and collided with it head on.

"Ow! What the…"

The Pokémon turned out to be his best friend, Reiki the Riolu.

"Oh, it's you… why aren't you in class?" the Growlithe asked.

He crossed his arms. "I was hungry, so I stopped for an apple." The Riolu replied. "Why aren't _you_ in class?"

"I was on my way…"

A smirk curled across Reiki's face just then. "I think I know why…" he said wryly. "You were playing with Kitsune before class again, weren't you?"

"_Pfft_, no! I was…uh…"

"Admit it; you have a crush on her!"

"I do not." Artemis protested. "Now do you want to sit here and chat or would you rather—"

A second flare shot into the sky, followed by a boisterous howl that echoed through the woodland.

Reiki cringed. "He sounds mad…"

"Oh…" the Growlithe casted his eyes to the ground. "How mad do you think he is?"

"Not mad enough to _punish you_ or anything, he's probably just being the usual hot-head he is." Reiki shrugged.

He nodded. "You think he'll be mad at _you_ for missing class on purpose?"

"Nah, grumpy ol' Kiba should know by now that nothing's going to make me punctual."

"I don't know… maybe he's really mad this time." the Growlithe replied reluctantly. "Maybe we should just wait for class to end and make up an excuse for—"

Reiki slid his furry blue arm over his pal's shoulder. "Artie, calm down; whatever your pops has planned when we get there is only going to get worse if we skip his class."

"Maybe you're right…" he replied reluctantly.

"Of course I'm right. Besides, the plains aren't that far from here, we'll be there in a matter of minutes."

"Alright, let's go." the Growlithe said, finally finding his courage.

"We'd better hurry before your pops blows his top." Reiki added, swiping an apple from the ground.

* * *

The Arcanine sat before the group of small Pokémon, scowling at the two empty places in the grass. It was one thing for Reiki to be late, but his own son? Just the thought of it made him tense; Artemis wasn't taking his responsibilities as serious as he used to.

A lot of other Pokémon would _jump_ at the chance to become guardian of the forest, and to be _chosen_ by Entei was an even greater honor. Why didn't he care?

It was probably that Riolu. He never shows up for class on time, and when he did he was the one who paid the least attention. He was corrupting Artemis. That had to be it. It was the only logical explaination.

"Um… Kiba?" a Pichu asked.

The Arcanine was brought from his thoughts. "Huh? Oh, what is it Sparky?"

"Why can't we just have class without Reiki and Artemis?"

"Would you _really_ be contented at the thought of being put through such rigorous training, while those two are out, loafing about?"

"No…"

"Then I rest my case."

Soon enough, Artemis came running forth, Reiki strolling casually behind him with an apple in-hand. "Sorry I'm late dad; I got held up—"

"By a girl." Reiki added with a smirk.

Kiba was not pleased. "Take your seats." He sighed. "I have a special lesson in store for you all today."

The two Pokémon took their places in the combed grass areas that somewhat resembled flattened sofa-cushions. Artemis looked away sheepishly while Reiki munched away on his apple.

The Arcanine began to address his group of pupils. "Today we are focusing on a topic very essential in a battle, especially when you are clearly outmatched with another Pokémon." He said. "Reiki, you might want to listen up; you're going to need this a whole lot more than any of _us_ ever will."

The class giggled at the Riolu's expense, but he didn't seem to notice. "Need what?"

Kiba shook his head. "Moving on – when battling another Pokémon, it is vital to understand the type-advantages and disadvantages that Pokémon possess. For example, if a fire-type goes against a water type, the water type is most likely to win. To put it plainly, this is because fire puts out water. Any questions?"

The Totodile beside Artemis raised his paw. "So, it's like playing really wicked game of 'rock-paper-scissors'?"

"Precisely."

"_Sweet_," the Totodile replied, stringing out the word 'sweet' way longer than he needed to.

"Would anyone like a demonstration?" Kiba asked.

The young Growlithe's paw shot up, along with the rest of the adolescent Pokémon.

"Very good. Finn, Artemis, would you two step forward for a moment?"

Artemis quickly complied and Finn, a Vaporeon, followed suit without question.

"You two are going to battle." Kiba said very bluntly.

Artemis blinked. "I thought you said—"

"Calm down, my son; it is merely class demonstration." The Arcanine reassured. "No harm will come to you by taking part in this lesson."

"Okay…" Artemis replied apprehensively.

The two Pokémon stepped in the center of the gathering and readied themselves for battle.

Kiba began to instruct his class. "Now children; when you are in a battle in which you are clearly outmatched, your only hope is evasion."

Finn opened his mouth and sent a flurry of water in Artemis' direction. He quickly side-stepped the Vaporeon, but was hit again as Finn tackled him, his body enveloped in water.

"Sometimes, the odds may be in your favor…" Kiba continued. "In that case, your attacks may do _some_ damage, but not as much as you'd like."

Artemis looked up to the beaming sunlight and then focused his energy to ignite a flame from his core. The energy burst out, only to be quickly doused by the Vaporeon's Water Gun attack.

Finn ran at him a second time, but Artemis quickly jumped over him. What happened next was what was really daunting about the battle.

Finn stopped in his tracks, chanting something to himself while he stood there. Artemis tilted his head oddly at this, backing away worriedly. The Vaporeon's body was completely in a sapphire-blue light and he raised his paws high. Before the poor Growlithe could blink, water from the river behind them began to rise and formed a massive wave that loomed over the makeshift battlefield. _"Son of a—"_

Artemis couldn't muster the words to express his concern. The wave lurched forward and crashed into the ground, splashing against the watching Pokémon.

"_Hey, watch where you point that thing!" _

"_Finn – not. Cool…"_

"_Hey! My apple!" _

Luckily, Artemis was able to dart behind a thick tree, watching the water splash by. when the water had subsided, he trotted from behind it smiling triumphantly, glancing up at Kiba to read his expressions. The Arcanine smiled politely in return, giving a nod of approval.

This sent a sensation of glee through the Growlithe. His tail wagged while he grinned madly at the sanction of his father. However, in the midst of his happiness, he didn't notice that Finn had charged at him. He jumped away and the Vaporeon missed his target by a hair. Artemis landed directly in front of Kiba – a big mistake.

The mighty Arcanine grinned mischievously as he pressed his full-sized paw against his son's tail and continued his commentary. "Now kids, when you make the mistake of getting into a battle such as this, where (as I've said before), you are clearly outmatched, there's only one thing you can do."

Finn channeled the water from the vast river behind them and enveloped himself in the water. When his silhouette was barely visible, he charged at Artemis a final time. The Growlithe looked to his father to hear his words of wisdom, hoping there was a legitimate resolution to a predicament like this.

"_All you can do then is pray to Arceus it doesn't hurt too much." _

The Vaporeon made impact, sending Artemis flying backwards into the grass.

"That'll be all for today…" Kiba barked. "Class dismissed." The Pokémon began to depart. "Except for you, Artemis. I need a word with you."

"…Crap."

The Growlithe carefully made his way to the grassy area beside his father and sat down, keeping quiet.

"I am very disappointed in you, Artemis." Kiba said sternly.

"I know dad, I'm sorry."

"Are you? Lately you've been coming home at all sorts of late hours, sleeping in on weekdays, and now you're coming to class late? What is really going on with you?"

"Nothing, dad. It's just… hard to explain."

Kiba shook his head. "Son, I expect more from you… for Arceus sake, you're the—"

"I know, I know – I'm the chosen one." Artemis cut in, his tone nothing short of blasé.

"You should be proud to have been chosen for such a responsibility. Entei has been searching for a suitable recipient for this role for years, and has passed up some of the most promising-looking Pokémon. He says great things are in store for you; you should be thankful." Kiba lectured.

"I know it's important and all, but… why don't I get to have fun? Nobody else in class has to practice outside of our lessons, and Kitsune doesn't even have to come since she's a –"

"Kitsune's life choices are between her and her family. She does not share the responsibilities that you have."

"I know… it just isn't fair…"

"Life isn't fair, Artemis…"

"But it can be!" he shouted desperately. "For everyone else – they get to live their lives… to follow their hearts… why can't I?"

Kiba blinked, only just realizing that he'd never asked his son about his aspirations before. "Well, what is it that you want to do?"

"I want to see the world; to travel to far off places… I _don't_ want to grow up…" he said. "At least… not yet; I just feel so trapped here. I want to follow my dreams, my desires… Haven't you ever felt that way?"

Kiba shook his head. "I have a great home, the perfect son – what more could I dream of"

"I don't know… _mom?"_

The Arcanine was silent for a long moment. "…that region of my mind-set is none of your concern." He said sternly.

Artemis face-pawed, shaking his head. "You just – you wouldn't understand." He groaned. "You never do…"

The Arcanine contorted his face into a grimace, forming a resolution to their conflict. "Tell you what…" he began. "Take the rest of the day off, then meet me here no later than dusk."

"Really? You mean it?" Artemis asked, surprise evident in his voice.

"As long as you aren't late again, it's alright with me."

"Yes!" Artemis cheered. "You won't regret this! I promise I won't be late tonight!"

The young Growlithe turned on his heel and darted off, having one place on his mind.

* * *

Artemis came bounding up the hill, huffing and panting breathlessly as he took his place at the edge of the overpass beside an almond-furred Eevee. "Hey Kitsune…" he panted. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing…" the Eevee shrugged. "Just waiting for you."

Artemis blinked. "R-really?"

"Nope!" she giggled. "You're out of breath. Did you run all the way over here?"

"_Pfft_, no," the Growlithe replied sheepishly. "It's just… really hot out today."

"Yep!" she chirped.

Artemis smiled, shaking his head at Kitsune's usual peppiness. The two fell silent, and the Eevee glanced upward to the Growlithe, spotting the yearning expression on his face. He looked out over the cliff longingly, as if the land below was some sort of treasure that was just out of his reach.

"What's wrong, Artie?" she asked.

Artemis quickly shook his head. "Nothing…" he said quietly. "It's just that – have you ever wondered what it was like living outside of Evergreen? I mean, there's gotta be more to life than 'sniff here' and 'don't go there'."

"Well, yeah. Sometimes I wonder… but I have everything I could ever want right here. Evergreen is where I was born, where all of my family live; I'd be crazy to want to be anywhere else."

Artemis nodded, but didn't seem convinced.

"Besides – you're here too. I think I'd miss you a whole lot if I didn't get to see you everyday."

"Thanks…" Artemis smiled. "That means a lot."

Kitsune glanced up to him a second time, seeing that his expression had not faltered in the slightest bit. She jumped up and got into a playing stance like a hyper puppy. "Hey, can you guess what number I'm thinking of?" she asked giddily.

It took a while for Artemis to figure out what she was doing. "Four."

The tiny fox giggled. "How'd you guess?"

"Because you _always_ think four." he chuckled.

"Yep!" she said. "And now that you've won, I can let you in on a secret!"

The Growlithe tilted his head. "What secret?"

Kitsune giggled a second time and leant in near the Growlithe. She got so close that he could feel her breath against his sleek fur. She began to whisper her words, "I –"

"There you guys are! I've been looking _everywhere_ for you two, Artie!"

Off in the distance, a Riolu could be seen trekking up the hill wielding a fresh apple.

Kitsune quickly jumped away and snapped back into place almost robotically. "Hiya Reiki!" she chirped.

Artemis sighed. "Why does everyone call me _Artie_?"

"Not everyone calls you Artie; only we do, 'coz we're too lazy to say your whole name." Reiki replied, taking a bite of his apple.

"Yeah!" the Eevee chimed in. "It's like – three whole syllables!"

"What about you, Kitsune?" he tried to reason. "Your name is just as long as mine."

"Actually…" Reiki piped up. "Only you call her 'Kitsune'. I call her _fox-face_."

"Hey! Take that back you… you doofus!" Kitsune growled, trying to be serious for a moment.

"Oh yeah? Or what?" Reiki challenged.

He fixed himself into a fighting stance. "Bring it on, _lupus dorkus_."

In a flash of brown fur, Kitsune tackled the Riolu and knocked the apple from his paws to take for herself. "H-hey! Gimme back my apple!"

"Not until you admit it." Kitsune said triumphantly, swishing her tail from side to side. She set the apple down and held it still with one paw.

"Admit what?"

She stifled a giggle. "That I'm awesomely awesome!"

"You're nuts."

"Would you rather I tell everyone in Evergreen that you got your butt thumped by a little girl like me?" she asked.

"You don't have the Pokéballs…" he bluffed.

"Try me." The Eevee retorted. "Artie saw the whole thing. He'll vouch for me."

She looked to the Growlithe. "Right?"

"Uh… right." He replied nervously. "I saw everything."

It wasn't a secret that Kitsune had been stronger than the both of them. She was a great fighter, but wasn't required to do anything about it because of pack rules. Females did the gathering, men did the hunting. It didn't make any sense, but no one in the forest could have ever thought up a better dynamic so they left it at that, much to Artemis' dismay.

"Hey! What happened to _'buds before duds'_?" Reiki griped.

"I dunno," Artemis shrugged. "I'd rather not be known as Artemis: guardian of Evergreen forest – you know, the one who got beat up by that Eevee girl."

"Aw, what a load of Tauros crap…"

"Just say it, Reiki; it can't hurt." Artemis tried to reason.

"What about my pride?"

Kitsune tilted her head. "What pride?"

"… Touché."

Artemis and Kitsune laughed. "Are you really going to do it?" he asked.

"Looks like I've got no choice." He sighed. "Kitsune – you are_… awesomely, awesome…" _He crossed his arms and pouted like a little kid, resulting in a second laugh from the two Pokémon. "Now was that so bad?" Kitsune asked.

"You have no. idea." He replied dramatically. "You should have gotten battle training instead of us! You're great!"

"Don't be silly," she giggled in reply. "Girls aren't _strong."_

"But you're strong." Artemis replied. "Stronger than the both of us combined!"

A smile curled across the Eevee's features. "Wanna test that theory?"

Artemis and Reiki looked to each other and answered in chorus. "You're on!"

The three Pokémon played in the grassy plain; each one having no knowledge of the trouble that would ensue that would change their lives in a few short hours…

* * *

The forest was quiet. The noise was dying down along with the day, leaving the sun to drift westward as always. Artemis, Reiki, and Kitsune eventually tired themselves out and were lying in the grass.

Neither one of them spoke, but mainly because Reiki was practically asleep and Kitsune was beyond the point of breathless.

Artemis rose from his place and moved himself to the edge of the overpass, watching the sunset. He sighed deeply, looking out to the vast forests below and back to his friends. _"It's true that I'm happy here with my friends and family…"_ he thought to himself. _"…but I've always wanted something __**more**__ than this… is that so wrong?"_

"It's beautiful, isn't it…?"

Artemis quickly turned at the voice. Kitsune had quietly made her way over while the Growlithe was still pensive in thought. "Evergreen is always so beautiful at dusk. It's one of my favorite things about this place."

"Yeah." He agreed. "Wait… dusk – crap!"

"What's up?"

"I have to go." He groaned. "Dad wants to meet me at –"

"You're going home?" Reiki asked. "Maybe your dad can take me home, too. This place gives me the creeps at night."

Artemis and Reiki began to depart when Kitsune yelped. "Y-you guys can't leave me here! It's like leaving a Cubone in a haunted house!"

Reiki shook his head. "Then come on!" he shouted. "Jeez, can you believe she beat _us _up?"

Artemis laughed. "You might not want to say that too loud; she might tackle you again."

"Ha! I'd like to see her try!" he laughed in return.

He hadn't noticed Kitsune stalking behind him. She swatted at his tail, and taken off guard, the Riolu yipped and ran ahead. The mischievous Eevee laughed haughtily at Reiki's expense along with Artemis, who tried his hardest not to.

* * *

In a half hour's time, the trio made it to the plains where training had taken place that morning. When they'd arrived, clouds began to brew in the sky and the wind was beginning to pick up. There was an air of unease at the moment, and the sky was quickly morphing to a deep navy hue. When the three finally reached Kiba, they noticed that he had been engaged in a conversation with three less than reputable Pokémon.

They didn't seem to notice that Artemis and his friends had arrived. "Quick, get in the bushes." Artemis whispered.

The trio crawled behind a bulky shrub and watched the altercation between the intimidating Pokémon.

"… and you see, that is why our master sent us here." The Swellow continued. "We will ask you once: will you league with us or not?"

He was standing in front of two other Pokémon: a Mightyena and a Houndoom. They hovered over the Swellow intimidatingly, but Kiba remained undeterred.

"… Entei has not yet chosen his heir…" Kiba growled. "Evergreen forest will do no business with the likes of you."

He took a threatening step forward. "If you three know what's good for you, you'll leave before Entei returns."

The Swellow chuckled. "That won't be much of an… issue, at the moment." He glared at the Arcanine, who returned his gaze unflinching. "You haven't the slightest idea who you're dealing with, do you?" he asked. "Our men are stationed all over this forest. I can burn it down with a simple _caw_. Step down or pay with your life."

"_Don't talk to my dad like that!" _

Artemis came running from the bushes and stood in front of the Arcanine with his head held high and his chest puffed out. "I command it!"

The Swellow scowled. "And who might you be?" he asked.

"Artemis; future guardian of Evergreen forest!"

The Houndoom and Mightyena twisted evil smirks across their faces, but the Swellow was already sporting an ear-to-ear grin. "Chosen by Entei himself?"

"Of course. _Who_ _else_?"

"Well well well…" the Mightyena spoke, his voice somewhat of a Cockney-British accent. "I think we got ourselves a prodigy over 'ere."

"Exactly. And if you don't leave now, I'll let my dad tear you to a million pieces." Artemis growled.

The three Pokémon looked to each other quizzically, and in a moment it wasn't hard to tell that they were all thinking the same thing. The Swellow lifted Artemis by the fur on the back of his neck with one of his wings. "And what happens if we don't comply, great chosen one?" he teased.

Kiba's rage was rising rapidly; almost too fast for him to handle. He knew angering them would only cause trouble, but if they hurt his son, he'd lose it. He began to burn the grass surrounding him, digging his molten claws into the dirt. "Put my son down or I'll tear your throat out…" he said, his voice dripping with venom.

"Quiet, Arcanine." The Swellow said sharply. "_Men_ are talking."

"Put me down!" Artemis shouted. "You should be afraid of me!"

"Yeah, I'm getting _chills_."

Artemis began squirming in the Pokémon's grip, landing a solid scratch right over his left eye. The Swellow howled in pain and dropped Artemis in an instant. "You're going to pay for that you little—"

Kiba barked furiously, and then pounced over the Swellow after losing his temper. The Houndoom and Mightyena came running to his aide, but Kiba glared at him with eyes tough as nails. "Take another step and you'll be taking him home in pieces!" he snarled.

"This bloke's gone mad!" the Mightyena yelped in surprise.

The Houndoom mutely nodded in fear.

The Swellow gave a high-pitched caw that was carried through the forest, but Kiba pressed a large paw over his neck, positioning his claws just under his throat. "Quiet, you!" he spat. "I've got half a mind to take you out _right_ _now_."

"Go ahead!" the Swellow seethed. "I gave the signal – the malevolent ones are going to burn this place to hell!"

The Swellow looked over to Artemis. "Starting with the pups!"

Artemis slowly backed way, petrified by fear. He reared into the bushes and looked back, knowing that Kisune and Reiki had just heard everything.

Kiba twisted his head back quickly. "Run!" he barked. "Get your friends and run!"

It was that moment that Artemis took off, the Mightyena and Houndoom chasing after him in less than a second. Before they could reach him, Kiba charged at him with the strength of a Tauros. The second he released the Swellow, it shot through the air and into the forest after the Pokémon.

Kiba tried to go in after him, but the Swellow's lackeys weren't going to give up that easy. The Mightyena ran at the enraged Arcanine and tried to bite his neck, but failed and was slammed into a tree. He went after the Houndoom next.

Kiba gave him a solid back-hand and sent him to the ground, but the Houndoom got right back up and let a blaze of fire shoot right into him.

Oblivious to this, Kiba let out his own fire – one that covered his whole body – and tackled the Houndoom to the dirt.

The two wicked Pokémon again rose and stood their ground; it had become evident that they'd rather fight to the death than return empty-handed. That was okay with Kiba – he was only just getting started.

* * *

Artemis, Kitusne, and Reiki ran through the forest, the trees and other foliage becoming a blur as they sped by. There was an occasional drop of water from above that signaled rain. It trickled onto their noses every so often to remind them that it was still coming.

The deeper they got into the forest, the more chaos they came across along the way. Rogue Pokémon were swooping in from all directions, attacking and pillaging the forest residents, who were all fleeing for their lives.

"You think my dad's going to be okay?" Artemis asked breathlessly, still pushing through the brush to safety.

"Of course he will!" Reiki replied, just as breathless. "He's got the strength of a million Gyarados – he can take on anything and anyone!"

Artemis nodded, but was still a bit apprehensive. The thought of losing his father sent ripples of fear through him. Kiba was the only family he had left, he couldn't lose him.

"I have to go back." He said bluntly.

He turned to depart but Reiki grabbed a hold of his tail. "You can't go back, you lunatic!" he shouted. "Those Pokémon will make mince meat out of you in seconds! Let your dad handle it!"

"I can't!" Artemis shouted back, still tugging forward. "Dad's all I've got left! I can't lose him!"

Kitsune stood in the way, blocking his path. "Don't do this, Artie. They'll hurt you…" she began to tear up. "I don't want them to…"

"But… they'll hurt my dad if I do—"

A streak of lightning struck, and almost as if on cue, a whoosh of navy blue feathers zoomed right into Artemis, pinning him to the dirt with razor-sharp talons.

"Artie!" Reiki and Kitsune yelped, practically in unison.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my eye…" the sadistic Swellow seethed. "And this time… no one's going to stop me from squeezing you 'till you _pop_."

A second streak of lightning struck, this time letting in enough light to see the scar across the Pokémon's right eye. The Swellow then began to tighten his hold on the Growlithe, watching him squirm in his vice grip.

"Let him go, you oversized chicken!" Reiki shouted, charging at the assailant. The outlaw knocked him away with sheer force, sending him to the ground headfirst.

The Growlithe gurgled beneath his constraints, causing the Swellow's smug grin to twist into a dangerous smile.

"L-let him go!" Kitsune cried, running at the Swellow herself. She weaved around his wings, thwarting his attempts to swat her away like a fly. When the hysterical Eevee was close enough, she rammed her head into his chest, knocking the wind from his body. The Swellow took a step back with one claw, but not much else.

The second his foot left Artemis' neck, he let in a massive gasp of air to fill his airways.

Smiling darkly at the Eevee, the Swellow began to speak. "You'd make a fine assassin…"

"Screw you, you…"

"However, you and these _mongrels_ have made your choices…" he continued. "You'll have to perish along with the rest of these sullied mutts."

Artemis had finally heard enough. He opened his mouth as wide as he could and let loose whatever heat could escape his throat. The embers burned into the Swellow's face, causing him to howl in pain a second time and step back to wipe the burning sensation over his cheeks and eyes.

"Go!" Artemis managed to shout between gasps.

The three Pokémon ran into the thickest part of the forest. "I'm going to tear your throats out!" the Swellow called, taking off to fly overhead. The rain had finally began to fall from the sky, soaking the three as they ran for their lives. As the trio ran, the Swellow's silhouette could be seen sifting through the trees over the night sky.

When they finally reached the clearing, they had noticed that they were right back where they had started – the plains where training took place every morning.

The storm was fierce now, there wasn't a star in the sky, and the only illumination was the light of the moon, muffled by the vicious rain clouds.

Beside the three was a trail of fallen trees and burning shrubbery leading eastward. "Dad!" Artemis shouted, taking off towards the scene.

"No Artemis! Right now, we gotta—"

The Swellow had finally caught up to them, letting out a mighty screech that could be defined as a battle cry.

"Run!" Reiki shoved Artemis in the opposite direction and the three ended up running along the river.

Artemis looked out over the forest, trying to find some sort of sign that signaled his father was okay. A sudden flare shot through the treetops, followed by a lively howl that could be none other than the warrior Kiba.

Though, just as quickly as the voice erupted, it was silenced by an unknown force.

The Swellow flying high above began to laugh maniacally. "You belong to the _Malevolent Ones,_ now!"

Reiki gave Artemis a gravely look, but the poor Growlithe refused to believe a word of it. "No!" he shouted to himself. "He's still alright – I know it!"

The Swellow glided in closer to the three Pokémon with his wings, glowing an ominous illumination over them.

In a dash of quick thinking, Kitsune shoved the two boys into the river, the storm's currents pulling them away.

"Ack! I can't—" Artemis tried to speak, but the rough waters sent wave after wave of the rough waters into his face.

Even Kitsune and Reiki, who were much better swimmers than Artemis, had trouble braving the storm. The vast river pulled them under and spit them out repeatedly in a process, the three adolescents swimming for their lives.

The Swellow seemed to stop chasing them for an unknown reason, and they soon calmed.

"Once we get… to the delta…" Reiki struggled between waves. "We should be okay..."

If only they knew the delta was at the base of a mighty waterfall…

* * *

**Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some cookies to burn... **


	2. Welcome to Team Hailstorm!

**A/N: Here's Chapter 2, rewritten in all it's glory. ^.^ I am going to apologize ahead of time for getting certain character aspects wrong - Like  
I said, the reviews were lost, and so were the OC applications. T.T ****Anyways, enjoy.**

* * *

"_There'sone over 'ere, too…"_ I heard a voice say.

The voice was distorted, and its words seemed to slur inside my head as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

I heard footsteps that seemed to be coming closer as I lay helpless there on the muddy shore. I couldn't move, talk, or even open my eyes; my body felt like I just fell off a cliff. I wasn't even certain I was _breathing_ at that moment.

"_It may be dead though…"_ the voice continued.

I wanted to tell the voice I was fine, that I wasn't dead – but at that point I wasn't too sure I was really 'in good health' either.

There was a rapid sniffing at my face, one that I would usually have smacked away – especially because it was so close to my ear. my bones felt like lead, I knew I wasn't going anywhere.

"_Th'bloke ain't movin',"_ the voice said. _"You want me to kickit into the ocean?" _

"_No…"_ another voice said. _"Not quite yet."_

I waited there as a chilling silence echoed through the darkness all around me, the only sound being the running water flowing not too far away from me. In a split second I heard a screeching sound and felt a sharp slash scrape over my face. _"There… now we're even…"_

I basically thought-screamed as the pain ran over my eye and down my cheek, followed by a cool wet sensation over my fur. _"I'm finished. Make sure no one finds it." _The voice said aggressively.

_I swear, when I find out who the hell-_

There was a kicking at my ribcage and I soon felt the cool sensation that only cold water can provide and my body began to drift. The running water was soothing, practically lulling me to sleep. I tried to fight the drowse from the rocking waves and the siren song of the seas, but it was too deadly of a combination for me to stay awake for more than ten minutes. In less than half an hour, I was either asleep or unconscious again.

* * *

Hours later I felt my body reviving itself; a painful process, but a helpful one nonetheless. The air was cooler than I was used to, which was weird because Evergreen forest was the hottest, most humid place I knew. I could feel the sun beating down on me, but it didn't seem as warm as it typically was on a normal day.

Under me I felt a rough, grainy kind of soil that was stuck to just about every part of my soaked fur, which started to raise questions out of me that I never thought I'd ask myself. _"…Where am I?" _

"Hey, wake up." I heard a voice coo as I came to. "It's not safe to sleep out here alone."

"Dude, he might be dead. Let's get the guild master." Another said.

"Ramón, he's obviously breathing." the first voice sighed. "He might be hurt."

"Or he might be some homeless guy…"

"Either way, it's our duty to help Pokémon in need."

I tried to speak for myself but ended up rumbling a groan instead. The voices quickly ceased when I moaned in pain, and a mixture of agony and relief flowed through me as I realized I was slowly regaining my mobile skills, even if the pain coursing through me prevented me from testing this.

"Are you okay?" the first voice asked again. "You look hurt."

I struggled to open my eyes, two blurry figures coming into view. When the shadowy forms before me came into focus, I noticed that an Absol and a Pikachu were standing over me, watching me for whatever reason. They were both wearing red bandanas around their necks, which was really confusing to me. I narrowed my eyes, trying to identify the two Pokémon. I don't remember seeing any Absol in Evergreen, and that Pikachu _couldn't_ be Sparky. Come to think of it, I don't recall any beaches being near Evergreen, either.

"…Maybe he's a mute." The Pikachu mused.

"Ramon – _manners_." The Absol nudged at his side.

"Gee, thanks _mom_."

I shook my head free of that drowsy feeling as I began to speak. "What is this… some sort of flash mob?" I asked, a hint of strain in my voice.

The Pikachu watched me curiously, tilting his head at my comment. "… or maybe he escaped from a mental asylum…" he queried.

I looked around again at the unfamiliar beach. "Where am I?"

The Absol and Pikachu looked to each other knowingly and I cocked my head back, anxious as to what the reason might be. "W-what are you looking at?"

"Last night, were you by any chance… _a human_?" the Absol asked.

"What the – why would I be a human last night, but a Growlithe now?"

"_Jeez, maybe __**they're**__ the ones who escaped the mental asylum…"_

The Pikachu shrugged. "Doesn't hurt to ask, does it?"

"But why ask something so… random?"

The Pikachu arched his eyebrow at me. "It's not like it hasn't happened before, and you seem a little nutty – just like the last guy."

"What?"

"Anyways, my name's Ramón." The Pikachu continued. "That's Chester."

He pointed to the Absol beside him with his thumb. "He's a bit of a nerd."

"I am not!" the Absol protested. "I just happen to be more _rational_ than you. That doesn't make me a nerd."

"Sure – whatever you say." Ramón drawled. "…So who are you?"

"Artemis." I said bluntly. I wasn't in the mood for introductions.

"Too long." The Pikachu shook his head. "From now on, your name's Artie."

There was a tinge of anxiety at that, which signaled there was something important I needed to remember, but I couldn't put my paw on what it was. "You remind me of someone…" I blurted.

"Yeah, you probably met Ramón before. He's been all over." Chester said. "Sorry about him. His brain isn't on speaking terms with his _mouth_. He's a bit of an…"

"Amazing Pokémon?" the Pikachu interrupted.

"…I was going to say _idiot_."

I pressed my paws into the sand and lifted myself shakily, feeling the sag of my damp fur and felt a familiar stinging sensation over my face. As they got a good look at my features, the duo began to gawk at me. Chester's jaw hung open and Ramón's eyes widened in shock. "Dude, what the heck happened to your face?"

"Ramón, could you _be_ any more insensitive?"

"It looks fresh," He reasoned with a shrug. "I didn't think he noticed."

"What are you two talking about?" I asked. "My face is perfectly fine."

"Trust me, it's not." Chester said. "You've got a—"

"Take a look." Ramón cut in, pointing to the water beside me.

I glanced over to the water as it slid onto shore softly, evoking a bit of that nervous feeling I felt earlier, and my reflection came into focus. The rippling image of the Growlithe was perfectly normal…or at least _would_ be if there weren't a long scar over the right eye. The fur around it was matted with dried blood, and even missing in some places. How could that have happened?

It was then that I finally remembered the events of last night. The memories came flooding back like a tsunami… or like a _waterfall_. My usual disposition melted away to one of worry. Sure _I _was okay, but what about Kitsune and Reiki? They were both with me last night… where were they now?

"H-hey, when you found me here, was I with anyone?" I asked, worry evident in my face.

"Dude, you were zonked out here by yourself." Ramón said. "Why?"

"Have you seen any Riolu or Eevee around?" I continued, ignoring the Pikachu's question.

"We know a lot of different Eevee and Riolu in Treasure Town, but not really any new faces." Chester replied. "You might find who you're looking for down at Wigglyfuff guild. That's where people usually go when they need help."

"Or in this case, when they wash up on the beach." Ramón added with a smirk.

"Where is it?"

"Just down this path, then take a left. You can't miss it." Chester instructed.

"What if I do?"

"Dude – It's a huge tent in the shape of a Wigglytuff. We're pretty sure you won't." Ramón said. "You know, if you don't think you'll find it on your own, we can…"

Before he could even finish speaking, I sprinted up the beach. I needed to know my friends were alright, and I wasn't going to be okay until I did.

* * *

"Uh, Ramón?" Chester asked. "Shouldn't we go after him? He might be in trouble."

"Nah, he'll be fine – it's not like there are any _assassins_ in Treasure Town or anything." Ramon reasoned.

They continued to walk along the beach when a few Pokémon could be seen flying over the horizon.

"Hey, look at that." Chester said, staring at the silhouettes in the distance. "You think they're in trouble too?"

"Probably. The Malevolent Ones are pretty fierce. Good thing we're in the safety of Treasure Town."

In minutes they found themselves running up the beach after the Growlithe, who seemed to be able to take off so easily after being as injured as he was. The heat slowed them considerably, and they collided with another traveling group, seeming to be in a hurry.

There were four Pokémon. The first was a Scyther, whose expression was almost unreadable, walking beside a Houndoom covered in scars and bruises. It looked like he'd been slightly traumatized, and there was a crazed look in his eye that could only describe torture. Then there was a Mightyena. He didn't seem too shady, but apathy seemed to overtake his features, as if he didn't want to be in Treasure Town in the first place. The leader of the quartet was a Swellow standing tall and mighty, harboring a scar over his eye that reached down to his beak with burn marks decorating both his eyes.

"Excuse me," the Swellow cooed falsely. "Would either of you two happen to know in which direction town is?"

"Uh, sure – it's that way…" Ramón replied, a hint of distrust in his words.

"Thank you, good sirs."

He continued on his path, muttering to his followers something that he didn't trust enough to say out loud to the two Pokémon.

"I don't like them." The Pikachu said candidly, crossing his arms.

"You don't have to." Chester replied. "They're probably just visiting. Don't worry about 'em."

"I don't know…" he mused. "They seem a bit shady to me."

"Like I said: they're probably just visiting. Needless to say you might never see them again after today – now let's go."

He continued on his way, trekking up the hill to the guild.

Ramón took one last apprehensive glance back to the four, who were now just dots in the distance, and took off to catch up to his fiend.

It was a quiet afternoon here in Treasure Town. The town's Pokémon were especially calm today, even for its current tranquil state. Ever since the _Malevolent_ _Ones_ began their reign of terror over the three regions, everything's been a bit hectic – especially when it came to stocking up on supplies. Kecleon market was always busy, always running out of items barely a week after they were shipped. But lately, things were calm. Even Mister Kecleon, the older of the two, who was typically the madcap hot-head brother, was unusually calm. _Everything_ was strangely still.

It almost scared Kecleon, the younger brother, who was a lot more laid back. The quiet was almost like an omen to them, telling them to enjoy the peace while they had it, that chaos would be soon approaching. It sent shivers up his spine.

He turned to the purple Kecleon beside him, nudging the dozing Pokémon.

"Huh? What is it?" he asked in a minor state of disorientation. "What's going on?"

"Hey brother, it's quiet." the Kecleon said.

"Yeah, so?"

"Do you think it might be _too_ quiet?"

"Of course not." He said, dismissively waving a claw in his brother's face. "Any kind of quiet at a time like this _can't_ be bad."

"Yeah, but it's—"

The reptilian Pokémon was interrupted by the sound of copper coins rolling onto the counter, falling into place at a dispersion.

He cast his gaze downward to the source of the commotion. "An apple, please." The Pokémon said.

His gaze lingered over each coin, calculating the amount in his head robotically. "Terribly sorry, but you only have fifteen Poké; an apple is _twenty_-_five_ Poké." He said coldly.

"Dude – you've got to be kidding."

"If I were, you'd have your apple."

"C'mon, can't I have this one?" the Riolu pled. "I fell off a freakin' waterfall for Arceus sake! I haven't had anything to eat since! You don't even _want_ to know what I had to do to get what I have there!"

"That may be, but _rules are rules_. If I gave you an apple, that would mean I had to give every other hungry Pokémon something to eat, and now is a time of recession. I need to preserve my stock for explorers and _paying_ Pokémon."

"Please?"

"No."

"_Pretty_ please?"

"I said _no_."

"I won't leave until you say yes." The Riolu countered, crossing his arms defiantly.

"Fine then – yes."

He blinked in disbelief. "R-really?"

"_No_. Now leave before I call the authorities, Riolu."

"Name's Reiki – not Riolu." He grumbled, turning on his heel to walk in the opposite direction.

"Ah, there you are…" a voice cooed from behind. "I've been looking for you."

That voice gave Reiki chills. That voice belonged to the very Pokémon that killed both his best friends and left him stranded on this…whatever it was. Now he was afraid and alone, and of all the Pokémon he could run into, it _had_ to be the sadist trying to slit his throat. The instant those words were uttered he stopped in his tracks, trying his best to keep his legs from trembling.

"There is no need to be afraid; all we want to know is where your Growlithe friend is."

"_They're looking for Artie?" _he asked himself. _"That means he might be okay… that he might be __**here**__." _

Reiki kept his back turned as he spoke. "W-what are you gonna do to him?" he asked, uncharacteristically timid.

The Swellow only chuckled and the sound of drawn blades could be heard from behind. "I don't think it should be _that_ hard to tell…"

The soft pit-pat of footsteps came close as the Swellow continued to speak. "Now, do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Reiki began to tremble. They were going to hurt Artemis; he knew it. It was all his fault – if he had led them in _any_ other direction, they would still be in Evergreen right now; they'd still be home with their families, not running for their lives on a strange land so far from home.

Reiki mustered all of his courage and turned quickly to face the wicked Pokémon. The Swellow grinned in return, thinking that the Riolu was about to comply. _Big mistake. _

He snorted a wad of saliva and spat it right onto his beak, grinning as the Pokémon burned red with rage.

The Swellow quickly composed himself, turning his back and motioning to the Scyther with his wing. "You know what to do."

The Scyther's unreadable expression hadn't faltered when he made his way over to Reiki, raising a blade to the poor Riolu.

"Now, I'll give you to the count of three to tell me where he's hiding or we'll gut you like a Magicarp and take _you_ instead." The Swellow said calmly, turning back to face the scene. "One…two…"

The passersby started to rumble in panic. They weren't strong enough to help the Riolu. The ones who were strong enough were either away on missions, or weren't able to get past the Houndoom and Mightyena, who acted as bouncers to the whole event.

Some were smart enough to run to the guild and get help – others watched in suspense, shouting things like, "Just tell him what he wants to know!" and "Don't get yourself hurt over nothing!"

As much as he wanted to back down, to tell him what he wanted and get on with his day, he couldn't. He couldn't tell them where Artemis was, and even if he did know, he'd take that secret with him to the grave.

The elder Pokémon always said that he was destined for greatness. They always said that he would do amazing things when he was older… what did they say about Reiki?

The bad influence, the lazy one… the only Riolu in Evergreen that _didn't_ know how to use aura…

They'd be better off without him …

He shut his eyes tight and stood his ground, taking a deep breath as he determined his fate. "Gimme your best shot, _turkey_…"

The Swellow contorted his face into a scowl. "Three…"

When it became apparent that Reiki would not meet their demands, the Swellow growled irascibly and turned to the Scyther. "Aim for the throat…"

* * *

After a few minutes, I'd finally reached the 'Wiglytuff guild'. Now I see why I couldn't have missed it – it was freaky! There were torches and totem poles on each side of the tent, leaving a wooden grate to rest in the center. The tent itself was guarded by a gate made of the same kind of wood, which I couldn't help but stare at. It looked really strong for _wood_ – Evergreen forest needed one of those.

I inadvertently stepped onto the grate and was greeted by a siren-like voice. "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?"

"The footprint is… um…" the voice fell silent.

"Sentry Diglet! WHOSE footprint is it?"

"Um… maybe Growlithe's! Maybe Growlithe's!"

I tilted my head in confusion. "What the—"

"What do you mean MAYBE?"

"I told you before; I don't know what I don't know!"

"Great." I sighed. "More crazies…"

For a few minutes the voices began to quarrel, bickering about whether of not I should be let in. all I could do then was stand there and wait awkwardly. In a few short seconds, the ground started to rumble and the wooden gate lifted from the soil.

"…Sorry to make you WAIT. It's true that you don't SEE many Growlithes in these parts, but you don't SEEM to be bad, so you may ENTER."

After their little banter, I wasn't sure I wanted to go in after all. "Maybe I washed up on a refuge for demented Pokémon or something…" I said to myself.

"HUH? What was that?" the voice rumbled below.

"Erm – nothing!" I squealed, running into the tent.

...

Down in the basement floor of the tent, (really, it had two sub-basements!) I spotted the diversity of the mass of Pokémon that swarmed all over. There were lots of Pikachu, some Eevee, plenty of Poochyena, a Riolu – wait…

"Reiki!" I shouted. "You're okay!"

I ran over to the Pokémon, who had been leaning against a wall on his own. When I approached, he didn't seem too relieved to see me. He raised an eyebrow at me. "Do I know you?"

I tilted my head in confusion. "Reiki?"

"My name is Chase…" he replied. "_Not_ Reiki."

"Oops…" that was awkward.

I backed into the crowd, parting through the Pokémon to try and find my friends. I was starting to think that I might have been the only one to survive… "No!" I shouted out loud to myself. "They're okay – they just have to be!"

I felt a tapping at my shoulder and nearly jumped out of my skin at the feel. After the events of last night, I wouldn't be surprised if I were twitching at the slightest _ping_. I twisted around quickly and saw that the Absol and Pikachu from before were behind me, watching me curiously. "Were you… talking to yourself just then?" Chester asked.

"What do I look like, a nut-job?" I asked pointedly. I wasn't good at quips – those were more for Kitsune and Reiki, but I never really noticed until now.

Ramón crossed his arms. "If we answered that question, I don't think you'd be too pleased about it…"

"Whatever; I need to find my friends." I said dismissively, pushing through the crowd once again. They began to disperse in the same frenzy they had been sauntering through, but I didn't think anything of it until I was knocked away by a Gardevoir in a white fedora, accompanied by a Mawile with the same hat. They were both female – or at least I think so.

They charged over to a Silver Haunter, who was conversing with a Lucario with notable blue eyes.

"Devin, the Malevolent Ones have got assassins here in treasure town!" the Gardevoir shouted. "They're attacking a Riolu, and apparently all the _competent_ teams are still away on missions."

"_Wait, a Riolu?"_ I thought. _"That must be Reiki! Maybe Kitsune's with him too!"_

The Haunter's expression had morphed from laid back to severe, and I could tell there was something about these 'Malevolent Ones' that I wasn't getting.

"I think they know something about the _three heirs_." The Mawile piped up. "they keep asking about the _Heir of Entei_…"

The Lucario's eyes widened. "What are we waiting for?"

"Excuse me!" I called, pushing by the whirl of departing teams.

I approached the four obviously esteemed Pokémon, who were all giving me quizzical looks. "I want to come with you."

"No." the Haunter said quickly. "It's too dangerous for a young Growlithe like you. They'll kill you without so much as a forethought."

"Please," I begged. "That Riolu is my best friend. It's my job to protect him!"

"Correction: it's _our_ job." The Gardevoir snapped back. "You have to stay here – where it's safe."

I casted my eyes downward, defeated. It was then that the Lucario spoke up. "I think we should let him." He mused.

"What?" the three Pokémon questioned, practically in unison.

"Austin, you _can't_ be serious." The Gardevoir said disbelievingly.

I looked up incredulously as he sent a warm smile my way. "If we don't, he'll probably just follow us anyway."

The Haunter shrugged. "I'm fine with that."

"Fine. As long as I'm not babysitting…" The Gardevior chimed in, still a bit apprehensive.

"And I suppose you two want to come along as well?" the Haunter asked, glancing over to Ramón and Chester, who had been watching the whole time at a rather close distance.

"Well, it would be a nice change." Chester mused.

"Yeah, we haven't seen any good action in weeks!" Ramón added.

"Then it's settled." He beamed. "Let's go before it's too…"

Once again, before the Lucario could finish his sentence, I darted off, anxious to save my friends.

* * *

We arrived at the main part of town. Well actually, _I _arrived first – the others were just barely trying to keep up with me in the heat. "How the heck… can you run… so fast?" Ramón panted heavily. "I'm …_dying_ over here!"

"It's way hotter where I live…" I answered distractedly. "I'm used to it."

The sea of speculators were blocking my view so I couldn't see much. When I finally managed to push my way through, the first thing I saw was Reiki backed into an abandoned vender's stand, holding his right arm. A drop a blood managed to flow through and I practically lost control of my senses. He was being backed into a corner by a violent Scyther. "Reiki!" I shouted, adrenaline now coursing through me.

When he saw me, it was almost like his heart stopped. His expression melted away into one of pure terror.

The Swellow looked back, noticing my presence and smiled darkly. "There you are, Growlithe." He said coolly. "My friends and I have been searching _everywhere_ for you."

"Go away!" I shouted childishly. _"Yep, still no good at quips…"_

"And miss our little reunion? Aw, that breaks my heart." He responded cynically. "How did you like my little… parting gift?"

I reached up and felt the scar on my eye with a shaky paw. "Leave Reiki alone!" I shouted, a hint of malice in my voice.

"Who, the Riolu?" he asked gruffly. "Siros, finish him off."

"Yes, sir…" the Scyther's words were frighteningly calm.

He turned his back to us, facing Reiki to finish the job. When the sun glinted from the blade that was raised, I found myself charging at him, my body enveloped in a flame I had no idea I was capable of conjuring. His body jerked in pain and the Scyther fell to the dirt with a thud.

It was almost like my instincts took over as I pounced over him and spat a flurry of fire into his face. the assailant roared in pain. My embers came at him non-stop. After a few short seconds he could take no more and swatted me away with the back of his blade.

I fell back, landing in front of Reiki defensively while panting heavily.

The Scyther recomposed himself, edging my way dangerously with both his blades drawn. I shut my eyes tight; I didn't want to see it coming.

In an instant there was a slashing sound, followed by a deafening silence. I looked up and saw the tall blue figure standing between us and our foe.

It had turned out that Austin was sandwiched between us, shielding from Siros's knife blades with his bone rush attack. I breathed a sigh of relief and Reiki practically fainted beside me.

Austin pushed the Scyther's blades in the air, and then swiped at his midsection with his bone. The attack made tremendous impact and The Scyther doubled over in pain. The Lucario brought the weapon down onto the side of his head and knocked his foe into the dirt.

He threw a grin my way as I sat there with my jaw hung open, still incredulous as to what had just happened. Not because of what he did, but more because of _I_ did and was still breathing afterwards.

"You okay?" he asked.

"…Yup." I answered breathlessly.

Reiki stared at him with wide eyes. "You _have_ to teach me that one day."

Almost on cue, everyone looked over at the Swellow, who was seething with rage.

"Burke, Tobu!" he called out.

He twisted his head back to see that both his Hench-Pokémon had been subdued by the Silver Haunter and his team. They were beaten and tied down, incapable of any kind of movement.

"Usually I'd have a witty saying for something like this, but I can't think of anything…" Ramón blurted out, reminding me of his presence.

Beside him, Chester face-pawed, voicing a groan.

The lot of us chuckled at the two, forgetting to keep a watchful eye on the Swellow. He took to the skies the second we let our guard down, expressing his distain with an exception ally loud caw. Siros quickly followed suit the instant his boss had gone.

"Well, I guess two out of four isn't bad…" Devin mused aloud.

"Yeah," Austin agreed. "We should probably get back to the guild and report to Wigglytuff about _these_ two."

He walked over to the binded pair and smirked. "When the guild master's done with you, you're going to wish you could fly too."

* * *

"Hold still, Reiki." I instructed, wrapping the bandage over his arm. "This shouldn't hurt much."

He cringed and tensed his arm at the stinging sensation throbbing through his forearm. "This won't hurt… _much_?" he questioned sardonically. "It sure hurts a lot more than you think."

We had been alone in one of the rear dormitories of the Wigglytuff guild, treating the abrasions over his appendages. His right arm was scratched and bloodied from the previous battle that took place just moments earlier. "What happened?" I asked curiously.

"My arms?" he lifted them weakly. "Nothing."

It felt like there was something to that that he wasn't telling me, but I'd settle for what he just said. I'm just happy he didn't give me some sort of sarcastic remark like he usually does.

"What about back in town?" I pried. "What happened there?"

"They were looking for you… they wanted to kill you…" he said gravely.

"Oh…"

I casted my eyes back to his arms and began bandaging quicker in the awkward atmosphere I had inadvertently created. This was starting to become a habit…

"I couldn't let them do that – not to my best friend…" he continued. "I'd _die_ before I let that happen."

There was something about that that filled me with a sense of dread, yet oddly filled me with happiness at the same time. I always knew that Reiki would do just about anything for me, seeing how we were the best of friends since hatching, but I never knew that our friendship could span to that extent. But at the same time I felt a bit guilty. It was my job to protect him, not the other way around. If he felt like this, then it probably meant I was a burden to him; more importantly, I was a hindrance to his health.

But he did basically save my life – I should be thankful. I guess a true friendship is put to the test when one friend's life is in danger and the other steps in to take his place.

Reiki chuckled a bit beside me. "Don't worry about thanking me – Friends are supposed to stand up to your bully. _Best friends_ are supposed to jump that bastard _after_ the fight."

"Reiki, you didn't jump anybody." I laughed.

"There's still two tied up in the foyer; we can kick them a bit while they're tied up if you're feeling up to it later." He suggested cheekily.

"Thanks," I chuckled, still choking down a few extra laughs. "I'll hold you to that later."

There was silence after that. Not an awkward one like the others before it (thank _Arceus_), but a more comfortable one. It filled me with a silence that I didn't think I'd ever feel again, seeing how my whole clan was annihilated by a bunch of vicious _monsters_.

"Hey," I heard a voice say. "We want to talk to you."

I turned around quickly and saw that Chester and Ramón were standing at the archway of the room. Ramón was holding something behind his back and Chester was holding back a fiercely nerdy smile.

"What's wrong?" I asked, tilting my head.

"I think the better question is, 'what's right?'" Ramón replied with a smile. "Or maybe it's, 'what's better?' no, it'd be better if I said what's—"

"Anyway," Chester interrupted. "We've got a surprise for you and your friend."

"What is it?"

Ramón suddenly held up two red bandanas that were almost identical to theirs, bursting forth a cheesy grin as he spied the look on my face. "Welcome to team _Hailstorm_." He said.

Reiki's brows furrowed in confusion. "Huh? You want us to join your _flash mob_?"

Chester sweat-dropped and Ramón bowed his head in a mixture of annoyance and exasperation. "Why is it that you two think we're a flash mob?" Chester sighed deeply.

"Well, you two _do_ wear the exact same outfit." Reiki replied before smirking. "And plus, that Pikachu's got little dancer's feet."

Ramón couldn't believe his ears. "It's called agility – I'm _agile_." he snapped back.

"That doesn't explain why they're so…" he covered his mouth with his paw to stifle a laugh. "_Dainty_."

"Wha – It's a team thing, okay?" he answered pointedly.

"What is? The bandanas or the girly feet?"

By this time Reiki was on the floor laughing, getting the silage and straw on the ground stuck all over his fur. Ramón, on the other paw, was twitching like he was going to explode into a yellow ball of fury.

"Wait, _Hailstorm_? That's your team name?" I asked, cutting in and steering away from the two squabbling Pokémon.

"Yup." Chester replied with a nod. "Why?"

"Hail is ice. Neither of you are ice-types."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Reiki chimed in, lifting himself from the floor after his laughing fit.

Ramón pointed to the Absol with his thumb. "Chester's a Delta species Pokémon, which means he was born with a different type than most Absol. We decided that he can take the team name, since basically owe my life to him and all." the Pikachu explained. "It didn't matter to me; everyone already knows _I'm_ the awesome one."

"What exactly are you guys, anyway?" Reiki questioned.

"We're a rescue team." Chester replied, puffing his chest to show his badge.

"A…_Rescue_ team?" I reiterated, clearly confused.

"Yeah, since the rising of the Malevolent Ones, it's been utter chaos in the Pokémon world. We don't know why they're doing what they do, but we know who it is, and that's all we need to know to jump in and protect those in need." he explained. "So the guild master dissolved the exploration teams and established a force of rescue teams to serve and protect those Pokémon. Our sole purpose is to put their leader (whom we have no information about whatsoever,) behind bars."

"So, are you guys in?" Ramón asked, handing the two of us the bandanas.

I gingerly took mine, inspecting the silky feel of the cloth. It didn't seem like it might chafe around your neck, and I felt oddly invigorated just by holding it.

"Does it pay well?" Reiki asked suddenly.

I wanted to swat him over the head for saying something so shallow about a subject so serious, but I was thinking the same thing. We needed a place to stay, food to eat, and we had to find a way to get back home where we belonged.

"Not unless you're successful in a mission, and even then you only get whatever your client decides to give you; but you won't have to worry about accommodations – when you join Wigglytuff guild, they take care of everything for you."

I thoughtfully tossed the idea back and forth in my mind, questioning if whether or not this was a very wise move. It wouldn't be too much trouble, but I didn't want to spend all day chasing bad guys when I'm already wanted by so many other Pokémon. Then again, they're a rescue team. Maybe we'd rescue Kitsune along the way. Then we could all go home together. Either way, I had nothing to do until then.

I turned to Reiki for some sort of consent and saw that he was already trying on his bandana. That was all I needed to know that this was where we supposed to be right now.

"Sounds good." I said. "We're in."

* * *

The forest was quiet. The calm after the storm always left a sense of dread latching onto the fear that the gale to arrive will be ultimately worse than the last. There wasn't a sound that was carried through the charred foliage or the fallen trees. The grass held heavy imprints and various shades of blood in a variety of different patches surrounding the deceased bodies, now just empty shells bitter with the memories of the souls they used to hold within. There wasn't a sound, not a shadow, that loomed over this place now… Evergreen was dead and there was nothing that could bring back the once abundant woodland. The image of the near-utopia teeming with Pokémon life was now shattered into a land of bleak nothingness.

Nothing would ever be the same – the forest would never cope from a hit like this. Life would have to go on and simply remember the once perfect society as what it had been in a more peaceful time… in a _happier_ time.

So would the lone figure that drifted over the forest with a fog of hate and despair clouding his mind. He snarled at the broken homes, the burnt trees, the crushed homes. All life had been obliterated, and he could only think of one thing.

_Why me…_

Of all the forests, of all the families, of all the Pokémon,

_Why me…_

Of all of the tragedies, this had to be the one to happen to him. Not once, but twice. Taking away family became a habit for fate, a habit which seemed incurable by his own intervention.

_Why me… _

It had already happened once. He forced himself to be strong after that. The pact he made those few short years ago now meant nothing.

The lone figure traipsed over the desolate land in despair, stalking through the once abundant forest for traces of where his attackers had gone. Not watching where he was going, he ended up stepping onto a small, shriveled bush that had just barely begun to grow. It had been burnt and crushed during the night of bloodshed.

_Barely begun to grow… Just like my son…_

The thought sent waves of anger pulsating through his body, taking control of his actions. The Pokémon lost his temper and rammed his burly frame into a single standing tree, shattering it into frail pieces of timber.

That wasn't enough, though… he rammed himself into a second tree, then a third, trying desperately to expel the powerful feelings burning within him.

His efforts were futile. He began ripping the burnt wisps of dead plants from the ground, yanking them with such a force that they crumbled under his might. The feeling hadn't subsided in the slightest bit… it only grew stronger. He opened his mouth and sent a howl into the sky, followed by mighty flames sparked by such a powerful sentiment that was almost unbelievable.

This feeling inside him was like one he'd never felt before. His heart felt numb, yet tensed all the same. His fury was at its peak, yet he wanted to break down… no, now he wanted blood. The blood of anyone even _remotely_ involved in the organization responsible for taking his son away from him. Now he wouldn't rest until they were all dead. He had to do it. For revenge; for himself…for his son…

He would use this hatred to fuel him in committing the ultimate act of revenge – even if it meant he'd lose his life in the process.

* * *

**'Delta species' is a trading card reference, I'm too much of a nerd to have kept that quiet for too long. XD I applaud anyone who noticed it, seeing how it was a relatively old and probably outdated reference. **

**And sorry also about not introducing too many characters. I try to keep each chapter under ten pages, but this came out to way more, so I cut tons of it out and decided to settle for fourteen and save myself the aggravation of rearranging scenes. Next chap, I promise! **

**Anyways, hope you all liked it! ^.^ **


	3. Should'a Seen That coming 00

**Hey, first thing I'd like to say is *Spoiler alert* I apologize ahead of time for my less than accurate Japanese. I learned it as a third language, so it's not as solid as my other two. Plus, I typed it phonetically rather than using symbols, so that would also be a factor in my faults. I've been bashing my head against a wall trying to figure this out, so I just got it off my chest and posted this as-is. I'm not particularly "happy" with scene 4, but the next chap'll be a lot better – I've been more focused on that one than this :3 But I digress, on with the story.**

**This chapter's been collecting dust on my computer for a while, so I hope everyone enjoys!**

* * *

"So what do you guys think they're doing to them in there?" I asked curiously, seating myself in front of Wigglytuff guild's main gate.

We'd been interrogating the Mightyena and Houndoom in the foyer with the rest of the guild, but the two refused to speak. When Sirius, the Zoroark who'd been put in charge of the questioning, decided that they should let Wigglytuff ask the questions, Reiki and I were happy to help bring them down to the second sub-basement. Long story short, he and I "accidentally" pushed them down the ladder and knocked the Mightyena unconscious, so Team Hailstorm had been banished to the main gate until the questioning was over.

"Beats me," Ramón shrugged. "We've never actually caught any of those Malevolent _Turds_ before."

His fur bristled at the mention. "Whatever they do, I hope it hurts…"

Reiki leaned against the totem pole adjacent to us, silently huffing his own complaints, while Chester had been pacing back and forth in front of us restlessly. Ramón, on the other hand, fixed himself into an unusual state of calmness, legs crossed and eyes closed. I hadn't noticed he even prepared himself into that position, but the serene moment was short-lived. After a few seconds his tranquil state had been broken at the hands of Chester's anxious pacing. "Dude, what are you _doing_?" he finally asked, opening one eye and arching an eyebrow.

"I'm upset. What does it look like?" he responded quickly.

"Whoa whoa _whoa_." Ramón howled, raising himself from the dusty soil. "First of all, when you're upset, you need to slow down and calm your energies. That's what Austin always says." He pointed to the Absol's frantic movements for emphasis. "Secondly, what could you _possibly_ be this upset about that could be more important than—?"

He broke himself off quickly and sat back in the dirt, chanting something to himself that I didn't catch.

When the realization hit Chester, his movements came to an immediate halt. "Oh, crap – sorry, Ramón; I totally forgot about…"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he said quietly, almost childishly.

I backed away – I was never one for solving disputes, even less so when I wasn't sure what was going on in the first place. Though almost instantly, Chester was able to cheer him up.

"Hey, I know what'll make you feel better…" he cooed. "You wanna go to Spinda's café for a while?"

"Maybe…" the pouting Pikachu responded.

"I'll buy the drinks," He offered.

Ramón was silent for a long time before he finally shouted out, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

He was the first to take off, running on all fours down the steps that lead to town, his equally eager friend chasing soon after.

I shook my head at the two, only just realizing how bipolar my new teammates were.

…

"So where is this _café_?" I asked curiously as the four of us walked, finally slowing in pace.

"Right there," Ramón said eagerly, pointing toward an empty corner of the grassland.

I followed his eyes to the vacant locale, spotting a cluster of odd rocks and patches of missing grass, but nothing too abnormal. "…Is this some sort of prank?"

The two stopped to stare at me blankly, but Ramón (being the drama queen he was) gasped. As an added measure, he put a paw over his chest to feign heartache with a look of sheer astonishment imprinted on his features. "You haven't heard of Spinda's café?" he asked, genuinely shocked. "What, did you live under a rock before you came to Treasure Town?"

"No, I lived in a _forest_," I answered pointedly. "We don't have too many five-star hotels there, in case you haven't noticed."

Reiki walked ahead of us to the empty area. "Artie, you should leave the snappy comebacks to me," he snickered as he walked by. "I'm way more clever."

He sauntered over to the area with a sense of leisure, something I always marveled at whenever I was with Reiki. He always had this laid-back attitude, like nothing could bother him – like his problems were miniscule, barely existent. I admired that about him. I could never be that lethargic, even if I tried. I just had too much on my plate; too many things were expected of me from everyone.

"Hey, you coming or not?" Ramón asked impatiently. "We gotta get…" he patted around his torso for a mislaid entity, whatever it was. "_Crap_… we forgot to get our old stuff from Kangaskhan."

"You have got to be kidding…" Chester griped.

"Nope," he responded with a shrug. "You wanna go and get it?"

"Might as well," he sighed. "You go on ahead; Artemis and I can get it and catch up later."

"Me?" I asked in a confused tone.

"Yeah, you and I seem like we've got a lot more in common. Plus, Ramón just might drive me _insane_ on the way back if I take too long."

I laughed at his humor. "Heh, sure I guess…"

Without another word the two of us took off towards town, listening to Reiki and Ramón converse until we were out of earshot.

"_Heh, if Chester and Artie are compatible, I think that makes them both nerds. HA!_"

Soon after, the yelp of the Pikachu being hit in the arm was music to my ears.

* * *

The two of us walked there, side by side, not saying a single word. I sighed quietly to myself; we'd been friend less than an hour, and it's already super awkward to be alone together. I tried striking up a conversation, saying the first thing that came to mind. "So… you and Ramón are pretty close friends, huh?"

"Yup…" he answered, just as awkwardly.

"So, how'd you two stay friends so long? You seem so different…"

The Absol chuckled. "Same reason why you and Reiki have been friends so long," He responded. "You come off as a 'look before you leap' kind of guy, but Reiki's 'all live in the moment' and whatnot. You couldn't be more different, but you couldn't be _closer_ either."

"Yeah, but… Reiki and I are so close because… well, we've been together since as far back as I can remember. It's only natural that the two of us share such a close bond."

He nodded. "Same with me and Ramón."

"What do you mean?"

"My mother found him one day back home, bruised, beat up and covered in ash. He was just a little tyke back then; A little younger than me, actually." He said. "We tried asking him about how he ended up like that, but he would always bawl his eyes out whenever we even mentioned it…"

He smiled at the memory. "He didn't like to talk about it, let alone _think_ about it, but we didn't care much. My parents treated him 'till he was better, then decided to raise him as their own that day… now he's like the little brother I never had. I guess you can say all the time we spent together was what made us really close."

"…I didn't think of it that way," I reflected, slowing my pace a little to think.

"That must be how you and your Eevee friend were, too…" Chester mused.

My stomach tightened at the mention. "Not really…"

"Huh? Why not?"

"I don't know, we've been the best of friends since the day we met. There was always something about her that just… drew me to her. Something about her smile, the way she laughs, her scent…"

I must have been making a face, because Chester smirked at my expression. "So, she was your mate?"

"No no," I said quickly. "Not like that. She's my friend, that's all. We're not… dating."

"But you love her, right?"

"Well, yeah I love her – but I'm not _in_ love with her. Besides, we do everything together. What part of what we already have would be missing?"

"_Mating_?"

My face flashed a bright red color, and the Absol laughed beside me. "You shouldn't deny it. It's not good for your heart."

"But I—"

"Look, either way you put it, its _love_. Trust me; I know it when I see it."

I stopped walking for a moment when it finally hit me. "Wait… who do _you_ love?" I asked accusingly.

His features flushed and were replaced by a vivid scarlet color. It was a lot more humorous, considering his fur was an alpine white color. "Ha! You totally do!" I laughed. "C'mon, who is it? I won't tell."

"What? N-no I don't – I mean I'm not in—!"

"Uh-uh," I objected. "Don't try and deny it – it's bad for your heart."

He sighed, regaining his composure. "Okay, you got me. That doesn't mean I'm telling you who she is, though."

"Doesn't matter," I shrugged. "I'll figure it out soon enough."

After a few moments of silent walking, we reached a large, booth-like shop with a stone shaped counter that curved upward into a massive sign, fittingly carved into the shape of a Kangaskhan. As Chester approached, the seemingly irascible Pokémon grew a wide smile. "Well well well, look who it is!" she beamed. "How's my favorite customer doing?"

"Fine, ma'am." He gave a slight bow and then nudged me to do the same.

When I got the picture, I did so, awkwardly lowering myself to the ground.

"And who is this?" she asked, her tone somewhat motherly – something I wasn't too familiar with.

"That's Artemis; he's the newest addition to Team Hailstorm." He said respectfully. "Well, he and Reiki, a Riolu."

"Oh? Would that happen to be the same Riolu who was starting trouble next door earlier this morning?" she asked, a hint of amusement in her words.

I chuckled nervously. "Probably. Reiki isn't really the most _coherent_ Pokémon out there…"

"He's quite the firecracker, isn't he?"

I laughed. "Uh, sure – I guess."

"And what a _handsome_ Growlithe you are," she gushed. "You must have _all_ the females chasing at your tail."

Okay. If the situation wasn't already uncomfortable, it definitely was now. "Heh, thanks…"

"So, did you two come for something? Or do you just like being around me?" she crossed her arms, holding that motherly smile that I found so gauche.

"Oh yeah!" Chester exclaimed in a state of realization. "Do you remember those old bits and pieces of junk that I told you we didn't need anymore?"

"Sure do!" she cooed, "Would you like them?"

"Yes, ma'am," the Absol replied graciously.

The Kangaskhan turned her back to us and began fumbling with a low shelf, piled high with cases and burlap sacks that were filled with what I believed to be the items the two Pokémon had been talking about. She grabbed a small leather pack from the lowest shelf and put it on the counter before us. "There you go. Hopefully, you'll get some great items in return."

Chester took the bag and slung it over his shoulder, and the Kangaskhan turned to fumble with her items yet again. She tossed a crimson, circular item onto the counter with a broad smile on her face. "And that's for your Riolu friend. Think of it as a 'welcome to Treasure Town' gift."

"Thank you," he gave another slight bow and walked away, tucking the apple away into the bag.

Not sure what to do next, I awkwardly followed suit, following behind Chester back to the café.

"No problem, come again!" she called out after us. "Don't be a stranger, Artie!"

Once we were out of earshot, I sighed. "Why does everyone call me Artie?"

Chester laughed. "I don't know, it suits you."

"Right…" I breathed.

So enveloped in thought, I hadn't noticed that I'd collided with a disgruntled-looking Gabite. When the two of us made contact, she practically threw me back into the dirt.

"Jeez, what the heck was that for?" I growled.

"You should watch where you're going," she said lowly. "Unless you'd _prefer_ being thumped into the dirt, I'd suggest you take my advice…"

"Calm down, Kalix," Chester barked. "You know it was an accident."

The Gabite growled lowly to herself. "He's awfully clumsy for a Growlithe. You should do something about that."

I got up, shaking the dirt and the sand from my pelt. When she smirked at my now disheveled appearance, I scowled at her, staring at her with daggers for eyes. That was when I got a good look at her. She wore a red scarf over her neck and a Dragon's fang dangled from the chain also around her collar. Before I could ask what it was for, she put a claw to her chin to simulate thought.

"What are you doing?" I finally asked.

"Naming you." She said simply. "_StinkMutt_ seems to suit you. A little too well, if I do say so myself."

"Alright Kalix, you've had your fun. Now leave us alone." Chester said, a hint of malice in his voice.

"Hmph." She voiced. "I just hope you two are that brave when the rest of my team is around." And with that, she was gone.

"…What was that all about?" I asked, a chilled wind seeming to float by as I did.

Chester shrugged. "Hell if I know. She's always like that—just be lucky you caught her on a _good_ day."

The thought made me shudder. If that's what she's like on a good day, I'd hate to see her on a _bad_ day.

* * *

***Third Person***

"So how long do you think it'll take them to come back?" Reiki asked, leaning against the solid mahogany table.

Ramón had been boredly tracing circles into the stilted surface, also awaiting the arrival of the other half of their rescue team. "I dunno," he shrugged. "Kangaskhan Storage isn't that far from here. They should be back by now." He positioned himself in an upright position. "Though, seeing how it's Chester we're talking about, it might be a while. The guy's way too friendly."

"Speaking of…" the Pikachu mused. "What's with you two, anyway? You don't have a thing in common. How are you so tight?"

"We're brothers, we _have_ to be close." He replied with a cheeky smile. "It's only natural."

"Wow. So your parents are…" Ramón tilted his head oddly.

"Oh, we're not biological brothers. I'm adopted." The Riolu explained. "His mom and big sis were... _you know_, so I stuck around to cheer him up. He just kinda grew on me after that - like a little brother."

"Oh… I would have guessed that Artie was the older one." Ramón reflected.

"Yeah, we get that a lot... So what happened to _your_ family?" Reiki asked curiously.

Ramón grew silent. "…I'd rather not say." He responded lowly.

The two were quiet for a long moment, the only sound being the undertone of conversation from nearby Pokémon and the faint music that echoed through the snack bar. After a few beats of agonizing silence, there was a greeting voice that echoed through the café, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey Ramón!"

The duo turned to the entrance of Spinda's café to see a chipper-looking Glaceon trotting through the entrance with the rest of her rescue team, composed of a Charmeleon with a flame pendant around his neck and a Buneary with a jet-black scarf around hers.

"Oh, hey Eva." Ramón greeted back, motioning to the two behind her. "Hey Blazer, hey Saki."

The two waved, but the Glaceon watched him expectantly. "Oh, How's Mongrel?" he asked, hoping that was the reason.

She stared at him confusedly. "_You,_ of all people, have in interest in what Mongrel's been up to?"

"Not in the slightest." He replied nonchalantly. "I just thought since you two—"

"We broke up," she interrupted, smiling proudly.

Reiki smirked. "It's about time. What happened?"

"Oh, nothing. Mongrel's just not the mutt for me."

"M-hm. So who broke up with who?"

"First of all, it's _whom_, not who." She corrected. "And secondly... that's not important."

The Pikachu's smirk broadened at that. "Right," he drawled. "Anyways, I digress. So what's up?"

"Do you know where Chester is?" she asked, glancing around the room curiously.

"He's our running errands. Why?"

"I need to talk to him."

"About what?"

"Well, I need his consent on—"

"Wait wait wait," Ramón interrupted quickly. "Is it some complicated, smarty-pants, _'I-wouldn't-understand-anyways'_ kinda thing?"

"Well - Yeah."

"Never mind then…"

She laughed, "So do you know _where_ he is?"

"Oh, he's out picking up our recycling with one of the new recruits." He said.

She turned to Reiki, tilting her head curiously. "Is he the other one?" she asked.

"Yup." He said. "That's Reiki. You'll meet the other guy when he and Chester get back."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Reiki. My name is Evangeline." She said with a smile, holding out her paw for a handshake. "My friends call me Eva."

"Hey Eva." He gingerly took her paw and shook.

"Behind me is the rest of Team _Intellect_." she said, motioning behind her to the rest of her crew.

The Charmeleon stepped up first. "Hey! Name's Blazer." He acknowledged, extending a claw for a handshake too.

"Hey Blazer, Nice to meet you." Reiki took a hold of his gnarled, scaly paw and curtly shook it, spying the two long scars that came down over his chest in the form of an X. "Whoa, what happened there?" he asked, pointing to the long-healed wound.

Blazer shrugged with a smile. "I don't know," He said. "I was kinda hoping _you_ did."

"Uhh…"

"So you don't know? Bummer."

There was a troubled look on the Charmeleon's face, but it quickly vanished and was replaced by a broad smile.

When he stepped back, the Buneary stepped forward. "Hi! I'm Saki!" she also held out a paw to the Riolu.

Though, Reiki couldn't shake hers as he did the others. He couldn't even move – he was trapped in a state of awe; the Buneary was simply stunning. The shade of her black scarf went perfectly with the glistening of her scarlet red eyes. He couldn't believe that something so ordinary could do so much damage to his insides. His heart had all but stopped, his stomach was doing back flips inside of him, and he had to remind himself to keep breathing or else he'd pass out . The only thing to snap him from his stupor was Ramón's incessant snapping in his face.

"Dude, pay attention. You're being rude."

He jolted in surprise, shaking the clinging thoughts free from his mind. Looking back to the Buneary, he spied the concerned look on her face, again becoming engrossed in her eyes. "Oh yeah – my bad. I uh…I thought I saw something..." He shook her paw and Saki took her place behind Eva.

"We're gonna go now," Eva said. "Let me know when you find Chester, it's important."

"No worries, the second he gets back I'll send him after you." Ramón called as the three departed again through the café's opening.

The second he was sure they were gone, Ramón began to stare at Reiki with a cheesy grin imprinted on his face.

"What?" Reiki asked. "Why the heck are you watching me like that?"

"You've got a thing for Saki, don't you?" he accused, trying his best not to burst out laughing.

Reiki rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, maybe I _sorta_ do…" he replied vaguely. "I certainly don't _not_ like her or anything like that…"

"Look, that's cute and all, but trust me – Saki's not the kind of Buneary you'd want to chase after."

"Why not?"

"She's already got a boyfriend, and _believe_ me, he's not the most 'understanding' or 'rational' guy out there." He said, using air quotes around _understanding_ and _rational_.

"So? What if they split?"

The Pikachu shook his head. "You're not getting this, are you?" he asked, sighing lightly. "Let's put it this way: His name is Slater, His _nickname_ is Slate. Team _Brute_ calls him Slit, as in…" he traced his thumb over his neck in a cutting motion, even going as far as making a slicing noise with throat for emphasis.

Reiki crossed his arms, "He doesn't sound so tough."

"You're right – because he's actually way tougher." Ramón countered. "Didn't you just see the hand motions? He's bad company."

"Whatever…" Reiki pouted. "Wait, who is in Team Brute?"

"You'll know them when you see them…" His fur bristled a bit at the mention.

"_Hey, learn to watch where you're going, Muk-breath!" _

Ramón sighed. "Speaking of…"

The two rose from their seats and wandered into the center of the café where the scene had taken place, spying a Poochyena and an Eevee swapping violent glares toward each other. The Eevee had been standing guard before another, almost as if he were protecting her from the Poochyena who growled lowly to the two Eevee, taking up a fighting stance.

"What's going on here?" Ramón asked, stepping between the three.

"What does it look like? I'm about to put those two in their places." The Poochyena growled back.

"Miles, you do this to _everyone_," Ramón replied sarcastically. "What's your problem now?"

"You didn't just see what she did?"

The Pikachu glanced confusedly back to the Eevee. "Who, _Matt?" _he asked. "Dude, I hate to break it to you, but that's a _boy."_

"Argh, no. '_Amber' _– the one behind him. Did you see the way she was walking? She acts like she _owns_ the place. Someone needed to knock her down to size; it isn't a surprise that it has to be me."

"Alright, nobody's knocking anybody." Ramón intervened, holding out his paws to make distance between the three. "We're rescue teams; Let's start acting like it."

"That's where you're wrong, _rat_," he sneered back. "If you want your tail handed to you, then that's fine too." He smirked at Ramón, glancing down to his paws. "I'll make sure not to step on your ballerina toes while I'm at it."

The Pikachu's face took on an incredulous glare. "You did **not** just go there."

"Apparently I _did_."

It was then that Chester and Artemis had returned to the café, peering confusedly around at the crowd of Pokémon gathered at the center. "What's going on here?" Chester asked, pushing to the front.

"Glad you're here," Ramón said quickly, his sadistic gaze still fixed on Miles. "I need you to do something for me."

"What's that?"

"Get my sword so I can kick this pooch's a—"

"Ramón! I am not getting your sword," He stated quickly. "Dude, watch your mouth."

"Wait – who in their right mind let Ramón own a _sword?"_ Artemis interrupted.

Chester sighed. "It's a long story."

"Better listen to your _mommy_," Miles chuckled. "You might get hurt if you don't."

Chester turned to the Poochyena who had been grinning smugly. "You know what…?"

"_What?"_ a voice challenged from beyond the crowd.

Soon enough, Kalix made her way to the center of the commotion with a more than prominent Houndour. He traipsed by each Pokémon, smirking at their averted gazes and nervous looks. When he reached the core of the scene, he glared down at the group of guild members standing before the two Eevee.

"What's the problem here, Miles?"

"Matt and his _lackeys_ are causing trouble again," Miles accused. "You ought to teach them a lesson."

"What?"

Before anyone had any time to object, the Houndour began to reprimand them. "You all seriously don't know who you're dealing with," he growled, his voice low and gruff. "If you mess with my friends, you're messing with me. If you mess with me, be prepared for the worst, 'coz you've just brought yourself into a world of hurt."

Chester stepped forward, puffing out his chest to seem bigger. "Let me handle this," he murmured to Ramón. "Mongrel, in all fairness, your '_friend'_ is a stinking liar and he—!"

"Enough!" Mongrel barked, fury written all over his face. "Big talk for such a mangy little…" he took a breath to recompose himself in fear of losing his temper. "...We're in a public place. Try and _act_ like you've got some sense – other Pokémon are watching."

He strutted past the ensemble of guild members, making sure to knock Chester's shoulder and smirk as the Absol practically fell backwards in recoil. "All talk and no walk…" he muttered amusedly to himself.

Kalix and Miles quickly followed, smiling derisively at Reiki and Chester. "We haven't forgotten about _canonizing_ the new guys, either."

When they were gone, everyone that had been spectating went on with their business, almost as if nothing had happened. Once everything had slowly regressed back to normal, Matt had begun to voice his thanks. "Thanks for sticking up for us, guys." He said quietly. "I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Artemis said coolly.

"I almost forgot," Matt said. "Chester, Sirius says you can come back"

"Oh, thanks-"

"_If_, you can control your-."

It was too late. The four Pokémon had already taken off towards the guild. at this rate, skipping out on the rest of someone's sentence would be the new team theme...

* * *

***First Person***

"Tell us what we want to know," the Zoroark said lowly, inching closer to the two Pokémon bound together by ropes. "Lest you'd prefer losing your lives…"

The Houndoom looked at Sirius with a look of bewilderment, like he seriously had no idea what was going on. Sirius sighed tiredly at this. What was so confusing about what he was saying? It's not like we were speaking in a foreign language.

"This is going to take a while…" he muttered to himself.

Practically every rescue team in town had come to watch, seeing how we had single-handedly managed to capture two of the most elusive Pokémon in all the three regions. Chatot had left to get the Guild master, leaving in charge Austin and Sirius, who decided to play good cop/bad cop until he returned.

"Alright, no worries. There's always plan B," Austin shrugged. "You can talk, or we can start hitting you."

He summoned the lucent bone to his paws and held it to the Houndoom's face. "Just remember: we don't play nice."

The Houndoom panicked, frantically prodding at the dozing Mightyena in a crude attempt to wake him. As he came to, he struggled under the bulky ropes tied around his midsection. "What the hell is this?" he growled.

Before any of them could answer, an unusually high-pitched voice could be heard screeching excitedly in the guild master's quarters, "You want me to meet new friendly friends? _YOM TAH_!" his voice was followed by two flashes of an almost unbearable illumination.

"You're being interrogated," Sirius said, approaching the two rouge Pokémon. "If you know what's good for you, you'll comply without query."

"Unless you want _him_ asking all the questions," Austin added with an amused chuckle, pointing to Wigglytuff's room.

"Pipe down, will ya?" the Mightyena replied drearily. "There's no need for quarrel. I'll tell you whatever you want to know … but you have to do something for me first."

Rescue teams were supposed to be ready for anything, to be able to expect the unexpected at all times, but I could say without a doubt that no one in the guild was expecting that.

Austin, who was now standing beside Sirius, crossed his arms. "Well, _that_ was easy." He smirked. "What do you want?"

"… You have to let me join you."

At that, everyone gasped. There was a dull roar of confused chatter from the guild members, some even questioning the reality of the situation. It was almost like being in a cheesy soap opera. I didn't need to turn around to see that everyone's mouths were hanging agape. I couldn't blame them, though – even mine was.

"W-what?" I asked disbelievingly.

"You think I _wanted_ to join the Malevolent Ones?" he asked rhetorically. "They kidnapped me when I was just a pup, took out my whole family and tried to wipe my memories. Every day I pray to Arceus that the bitch in charge meets a gory demise for all she's done to Pokémon like me…"

He glanced about at everyone in the room, refusing to meet my curious gaze as I made my way before him. "_Tried_ to wipe you memories?"

"…You'd be surprised how strong your will is when your heart is fueled on hate." He replied with a dangerous edge.

"So why betray them now?" Austin asked dubiously. "Why not before?"

"That's like asking 'why didn't you just _yank_ your leg out of the Ursaring trap before?'" he replied sarcastically. "They won't hesitate to torture you mercilessly at the first sign of disdain… I promised my family I'd rip her to shreds for what she did to them. I can't do that if I'm dead."

Austin's eyes flicked suspiciously from the Mightyena to his partner. "And what about him?" he questioned. "I don't think your partner would be too happy about you being able to betray your organization so easily."

"Tobu doesn't even know what's goin' on," he said dismissively. "Poor bloke speaks Japanese – doesn't understand a lick of English…" he turned to the Houndoom and began to speak in a language no one else could grasp. "Tobu, _Wareware__ wa chīmu o kirikaete iru. Girudo e yōkoso_."

The Houndoom gave a contented nod. "_Sore wa wareware ga okonatta yaku jikandesu_," he replied, sighing with relief.

They all stared at the two with wide eyes. Not many Pokémon could speak Japanese these days, so it was truly a marvel when one was so able to comprehend. It showed that they were still in touch with their Pokémon roots, which many have been lead astray from. Past genertations of Pokémon had grown accustomed to the primary English language, as was the preferred language of Pokémon trainer, which ultimately lead them to neglect teaching their offspring in the native language.

"What'd you say?" Ramón asked, not able to contain his curiosity any longer. "What about him?"

"I told Tobu that we're switching sides. He wants to help too." He said plainly. "And the name's Burke – now could you untie us?"

"Of course," Austin replied. "Ramón, you mind?"

"No sir," he replied, strangely respectful as opposed to his usual 'what do I look like, your servant?' attitude, which is typically directed towards his fellow guild-mates.

He quickly made his way toward the duo and began carefully unwinding the thick bindings that held them together.

Burke's eyes widened when he recognized the familiar Pikachu. "…Zeus? Is that really you?" he asked, mouth agape.

"Huh? My name's _Ramón_."

The Mightyena shook his head free of the thought. "My apologies," he said quickly. "You just… remind me of someone…"

He looked to the ground with a sense of guilt. "…someone I used to know," he added quietly.

"I don't think I was supposed to hear that…" I muttered lowly to Reiki.

"Hear what?" he asked, finally turning his attention to me.

I looked at him blankly for a moment. "Never mind." I sighed. "What are you staring at?"

"O-oh, nothing… just…a thing." As quickly I'd caught his attention, I had lost it.

It wasn't a surprise, though. Reiki had the attention span of a Furret on Joy seeds. I couldn't help but wonder what had caught his attention, though.

When Ramón had finally finished untying the two, they rose and stretched their contracted muscles, inadvertently posturing themselves to where their unusually burly frames could be seen under their thick fur.

"Whoa, what kind of steroids do they put you on!" Ramón suddenly exclaimed, receiving the usual smack over his head from Chester.

"The Malevolent Ones are expected to keep _above _theterms of fit at all times," he recited, his voice nearly robotic. "Any Pokémon who does not meet these requirements will be slaughtered on sight."

There were intrigued "Ooh's" from the crowd as he spoke, but I shivered in horror at the thought. We still haven't found Kitsune, and if they'd caught her, she'd run the risk of going through everything _they've_ gone through.

"Moving on," Sirius cut in, breaking me from my thoughts. "You still need to tell us what you know about these 'Malevolent Ones'."

"As you wish," he nodded civilly. "The Malevolent Ones are an organization of ruthless Pokémon who wish to usurp Arceus' power and dissolve autonomy from the Pokémon world."

Ramón tilted his head oddly at that. "And by that you mean…"

"World domination."

"Isn't that a little played out by now?" Chester inquired.

"Not when you're planning to wipe free-will and freedom from the face of the earth." He responded darkly. "If the Malevolent Ones succeed in their plans, we'll all be reduced to lifeless husks with no other purpose than to serve their leader and her subordinate rulers."

I looked over to Ramón. His fur was bristling madly and I could only assume that he knew something about the Malevolent Ones that I didn't.

"Makes sense," Austin nodded. "So where do the three heirs come into play?"

Burke blinked. "You know about the three heirs?" he practically gasped. "Mere mortal Pokémon aren't supposed to wield that sort of information."

"You Swellow friend isn't very good at keeping secrets." The Zoroark countered with a tinge of contempt in his voice.

The Mightyena growled lowly to himself. "Don't even mention that rat with wings…" he snarled.

When Sirius glared at the Mightyena irritably, he continued. "As for the three heirs, they're the three Pokémon from the ancient prophecies who are said to have an unbelievable strength within them. They are supposed to have the power to manipulate light and dark as well as expel the most heinous of evils from the earth. They're the chosen recipients of the legendary beast trio."

"Which are…?" Austin prompted.

The Mightyena looked at him blankly. "You all can't _seriously_ be this ignorant to your Pokémon history," he gawked.

"We're jocks," Austin said. "What do you expect?"

"Uh…_I'm,_ not a jock," Chester piped up uncertainly, raising his paw.

"Of course you're not," Ramón added. "Don't worry – we all know you're a _nerd_."

As usual, the Absol replied to the left-handed complement with a hopeless face-paw.

"The legendary beast trio are _Raikou_ of Edgewood Jungle, _Suicune_ of Lucid Lake, and _Entei_ of Evergreen Forest." Burke continued.

He glanced around expectantly at the lot of us until his gaze rested on me. "I see you have recovered Entei's heir; now you need Raikou and Suicune's."

"Whoa! H-how'd you know it was me?" I gasped.

"I can see it in your aura." He explained. "I can see the pride you hold, the responsibilities you _intend_ to uphold… the guilt you suffer from."

I was silent after that. I knew what he was taking about; something I didn't want to bring up.

"So what happens if we _don't_ recover the heirs?" Austin asked.

"Then the dark prophet will, and her one and only goal is to take out anything and anyone who might become a threat to her master."

"Who is she?" I asked.

"…Seriously? You never learned this stuff before?"

"Try us," Austin responded.

Burke sighed. "That I do not know," he said somberly. "Though, she is believed to be born of a new breed of evil. Legends say she is the Pokémon with no past nor future, originating from 'chaste beginnings'. She has yet to be identified by the imperial ruler; her dastardly wickedness." He added with a sneer.

"So what does that mean?" Austin asked. "We have to get rid of this 'dark prophet'?"

"If that's what it takes, then we must." He said lowly.

I felt a chill at the husky tone of the Mightyena's voice. I knew he meant well, but there was something about the way he carried himself that made me want to shudder. I guess being in such a sinister place for so long affected the way he walked and talked. Speaking of…

"So, where is the Malevolent Ones' hideout?" I asked.

He shook his head soberly. "Even if I told you, she'd be long gone by now. The leader of the Malevolent Ones is extremely mistrustful, and will cut and run at the first sight of mutiny from her troops. She doesn't allow herself to be caught. For that reason, as long as she lives, the Army of Darkened Souls will thrive and grow at a horrifying rate."

"The army of—"

"That'll be all we need to know for today," Sirius interrupted before I got the chance to speak. "We'll continue tomorrow; it's getting late."

"But I—"

"We'll continue in the morning," he called over his shoulder, walking away. "Burke, Tobu, Team Hailstorm will show you to your rooms. It's the _least_ they can do after being responsible for knocking you unconscious earlier."

The Mightyena looked down at me expectantly, and all I could do was level my eyes with the ground while Reiki rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. _"Jeez,"_ I thought. _"Way to put us on the spot…" _

* * *

***Third person!***

The small Eevee walked along the jagged path of the unfamiliar jungle, peering cautiously from her left to her right, spying the Espeon and Umbreon strutting on either side of her. Directly behind her was a Weavile holding a sharpened claw to her back, making sure to keep her moving. When their glances met, the Espeon smirked knowingly, but the Umbreon forced his eyes shut and turned away, shaking his head. "You shouldn't have come here, kid…" he mumbled lowly.

The Weavile remained still, not glaring back nor acknowledging her presence. He kept aloof, staring ahead in a collected state while they walked.

The night was dreadfully eerie. The sky above was a bloodshot red color, twisting into a wicked spiral that would only be seen in horror films. It made the young Eevee want to cower in fear, but judging by the sharp claws positioned carefully behind her, she wasn't going anywhere without their consent.

"W-where are we g-going?" she managed to ask, trying to conceal fierce trembling that rumbled through her body. However, the fear in her voice was unmistakable. The sound of it made the Weavile smirk. "Let's just say, you're headed to a place more _permanent_ than your last home."

She was silent for a beat, satisfied with her answer until her eyes widened in horror at the realization that had hit her. "A-are you going to _kill_ me?"

He chuckled. "…Something like that."

The Weavile and Espeon seemed amused by her current state of anxiety, but the Umbreon watched silently, turning away every few seconds for an unknown reason.

As they walked through the dark jungle, the silhouettes of other Pokémon could be seen among the trees. The shadowy figures watched her stoically, their whispers of judgment being carried through the ominous wind.

"_There's the new recruit… Can't wait to see Tamaki pass judgment."_

"_Don't be stupid – the Malevolent Queen won't keep a scrawny thing like her."_

"_That's what they said about Kuro, but he's among her elite now."_

"_Kuro is a warrior. A tiny fox like that is as good as dead here…" _

As discrete as they tried to be, Kitsune caught every word of their jeers. Every part of her body began to shake as she tried taking deep, shaky breaths to maintain her composure.

The Weavile took note of this, making sure to chuckle to himself at her expense, which ultimately struck more fear into the poor Eevee.

As they reached the partial clearing, the base of operations of the dastardly gang became clear.

In the center of the clearing was a colossal rock, raised and branching out into many different directions. Just below the top was a young Espeon, looking down at the Pokémon below with sad eyes full of regret. His sleek fur and slender frame led to the assumption that he didn't fight; as if he were more of an asset to the organization.

At the top of the throne-like stone was a Pokémon covered with a thick, luxurious golden-white fur, and gleaming red eyes that boded evil to those caught in its gaze. Her nine tails swayed left to right dauntingly, the sharp orange tips threatening to off anyone who dared to come within range.

A Haxorus hovered defensively over her, glaring down at the troops below. He watched them all with a sense of superiority, but watched the Ninetails with a much humbler demeanor – one that doesn't seem to come natural to him.

When the trio noticed the arrival of the four Pokémon, she scowled impudently. "What is this you bring before me?" the Ninetails asked, her tone icy and apathetic.

"My liege," the Weavile began with a bow, motioning for his followers to follow suit. "We present to you a new soldier." He sidestepped from his position to reveal the almond-furred Eevee, frozen with fear and trembling madly. "She has the Aura of the legendary prophet."

"Impossible," she scoffed, turning her nose up at the panic-stricken creature. "This pathetic soul is small and meek – she couldn't lead a horde of Rattata, let alone _my_ _army_. I have passed my judgment – you know what to do with the rejects…."

"Tamaki, if I may interject…" Haxorus said with a quick stoop. "I can see her aura as well. She shows resilience and strength, but has great potential darkness within her. It would be wise to at least give this weakling the benefit of doubt."

She cast a sideways glance to the Pokémon, mulling over whether or not she should keep such a waste of good resources. Haxorus was a loyal servant; she knew for a fact that he'd be willing to lose his life to preserve hers. There was no reason she shouldn't trust in his word. "Very well," she seceded. "Harvey, administer _the test_."

The Espeon below her on the boulder jolted. "Y-yes, master Tamaki."

He quickly made his way down from the makeshift throne and to the Eevee with eyes drowned in remorse.

The poor fox was trembling more ferociously than she had before, barely able to utter her words. "W-what are you g-g-going to—?"

"Shh," he hissed quickly. "I'm so sorry…"

His voice was barely a whisper. Before the Eevee could even ask why, Harvey shut his eyes and the Jewel on his forehead began to glow. Within seconds the pain and heat started ripping through her mind, sending jolts down her spine and to the rest of her body. She could no longer take the pain; Kitsune cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor in less than a minute.

* * *

**-Gasps- oh Arceus, I've left you all at a cliffhanger! Don't worry; my plot bunnies will give me a proper punishment later on. =3 **

**For some reason, I imagined Pokémon Mystery Dungeon's "Planet's Paralysis" theme for that last scene O.o oh well, cookies if you caught the Saints Row reference! ^.^**

**Also, now that the cat's out of the bag, I'd like to welcome _Sasha the Espeon_ to FF. She's a friend of mine who deserves half the credit for the storyline of this fic and for coming up with Kitsune's character, as well as another who has yet to be introduced. I didn't think it mattered much at the time since she didn't have a Fanfiction account.  
Plus, she said (and I quote) "Do what you like with her; it doesn't really matter to me." But I still believe she deserves credit for composing two of my favorite characters. ^.^ I didn't mean to offend in the slightest, and once again, welcome to the wonderful world of fanfiction! **


	4. Biting the Bullet

**This chapter goes out to NaraLikesWords for motivating me to get off my lazy butt and finish this chapter with her epic FanArt. ^.^ And Sasha the Espeon for finishing this when I couldn't. The Realm of Awesome appreciates this immensely.**

**Secondly, I've been grounded for a while, but I've been 'released' in a sense, for good behavior. ^.^ My writing may be a little rusty – I kinda rushed this trying to finish it quickly, so it's shorter, too. I'm going to be gone this whole weekend, but I'll be fixing any mistakes I come across that I missed before. ._. Just lemme know if I did screw anything up. :P  
I gotta say, though, that my next chapters will not come for some time. My dog got all 'affectionate' the other night I locked him out of my room, then he shredded my drafts while I was away to get back at me. -_- Bad Cooper!**

**Cooper: *Gives me the finger***

**T.T He's such a rebel. **

**Check out my poll~! Info's at the bottom. **

**I've noticed that author's notes are horrifyingly long, so I won't ramble anymore XD enjoy!**

* * *

_***Dream Sequence***_

_I sighed a silent huff to myself, watching the sun's rays cascade over the darkened sky as I lay there alone in the middle of the uninhabited forest. There wasn't a single soul around, no one to comfort me in my sorry state. _

"_It's been a month…" I mumbled to myself. "And we still can't find her…" _

_Peering ahead over the cliff, I was hit with the stinging realization that I was never going to see my best friend again. I'd have to come to this clearing every day after training alone now, and nothing would ever change that. _

_That was when I heard the silent rustling of the foliage behind me. There was someone coming for me. Whoever it was, I was in no mood to fight. I closed my eyes sat still as a rock in an attempt to show that Pokémon I wasn't feeling up to a battle. _

_The soft pit-pat of footsteps came close, but faltered a second. I guess they were expecting more of a fight from the "legendary" Artemis. _

_The footsteps came closer and closer until they got so close, I could feel the creature's breath in my face. My own breath caught in my throat as I felt the Pokémon's inhalation against my jaw line. It felt around at first, then began to bury its face into the crook of my neck, almost as if it were… nuzzling me?_

"_Artie? That you?" _

_My eyes snapped open in disbelief. It couldn't be… "Kitsune?" _

_The dark figure giggled into her petite paw. "Surprised to see me?" _

"_Heck yeah, I thought you were dead…" I chuckled with a sigh of relief. _

_Everything that I had felt before was rapidly diminishing and being replaced with this immense excitement that I could no longer contain. She ran over to me and hugged me, burying her face once again into my neck. The feel was comforting beyond belief, yet made me feel odd. Oh well, now wasn't the time for pondering – Kitsune was okay! _

"_**She's** okay, too." She murmured into my collar. "I saw her." _

"_Who's okay?" I asked, confusion written all over me. _

"_You don't remember?" she seemed troubled, then took a step back. _

"_What's wrong?" I asked. _

_Kitsune looked away. "Artie, I have to tell you something." She said quietly. "But you have to make a promise. Promise me you won't hate me, no matter what I say." _

_My brow furrowed at her odd behavior. She seemed genuinely concerned, something I never saw in her before. Even when something was wrong, Kitsune would mask it with her usually playful nature. _

"_Kitsune, I'll never hate you, no matter what happens." I tried to reassure her. "You're my best friend; there's nothing you could ever say or do that will ever make me hate you." _

"_You don't understand," she said, the unease in her eyes not faltering in the slightest. "I'm… I'm a—"_

_Just then there was a fierce rumbling from deeper down in the forest. The very ground we stood on began to tremble, there was a hint of salt in the air, and I could only assume that one of my greatest fears had been travelling up to meet us. _

_In mere seconds, a towering tidal wave carrying murky waters towered over us, poised to attack. Yep… this was totally not my day._

_I barely had time to yelp before it crashed down like thunder and washed the two of us from the cliff completely, sending us plummeting to the woodland below. I hit the ground with a solid thud. Miraculously, I was still okay. There was a warm, wet sensation over me, and I noticed I was in a spring, of sorts. _

_Kitsune came running up to me, tears rolling down her furry cheeks. "I'm sorry Arite – I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I didn't mean it! They made me!" _

_Her voice echoed in my mind until I shut my eyes and darkness began to creep. After a few seconds, the forest was completely bare, hardly visible in the shadows. A dark figure stalked over to me. I couldn't define her features accurately, but I noticed her dual tails lashing left to right in a hasty motion. The Pokémon's red eyes glowed eerily, deterring in the darkness, and she began to speak. "Your time is coming, Artemis; beware of a traitor in your ranks."_

"… _Who are you?" I asked breathlessly. _

"_My identity is of no importance to you. Heed my words or face your **doom**." _

_I tilted my head curiously, finding a surprising amount of strength while getting to my feet. "Why are you helping me?" _

_A dark smile crept over the Pokémon's face and she chuckled nostalgically. "You and I are closer than kin; why would I not?" _

_The Pokémon stepped from the shadows and showed herself to me. I wanted to gasp, but I couldn't place this Pokémon's face. I couldn't even place her **species**. The dark fox had scarlet red eyes, two raven tails with flecks of white at the end, and traces of red that streaked down her back. I don't know how I knew, but the name seemed to fit. "Obliveon…" I breathed. _

_Her pointed, right ear twitched amusedly. "Do you remember me?" she asked, her tone becoming somewhat icy. _

"…_Err – no?"_

_Her shoulders dropped and her ears fell flat against her head. "Then you too, must expire for your impudence."_

_She charged at me and tackled me to the ground, sinking her teeth into my neck negligence . _

* * *

I woke with a startled yelp, breathing heavily as I tried to regulate my heart beat. "Just a dream…" I muttered to myself, feeling a tinge of disappointment in not having actually found Kitsune. Shaking my head free of the grog, I peered through the window to our quarters. It was still dark.

Looking back over to the rest of my team, I had noticed that they were still asleep as well. It was a good thing, too – I needed a walk to clear my head, but they'd just worry. So without a word, I slipped by each bed of straw, slinking by the sleeping figures until I tripped over a bar of cold steel. Hitting the ground, I glanced up quickly and bit my lip, hoping I didn't just wake my team. Luckily, they were all still sound asleep.

I didn't even bother raising myself from the ground – my best bet would be to stay out of sight.

When I'd reached the archway of our quarters, I looked back to see what I'd tripped on. Turns out, Ramón isn't too good at hiding his sword, which actually kind of scares me. The polished steel glowing in the moonlight was enough to make me shudder. With any luck, he won't be allowed to use it anywhere populated.

Nevertheless, I managed to make my way out of the room, passed the guild master's quarters, then snuck up the ladder and out of the guild. "Piece of cake," I murmured to myself. I knew exactly where I wanted to go from here.

* * *

I sat at the very edge of Sharpedo bluff for hours, watching the stars disappear with the night. It was the closest thing to home here in treasure town. Though, it was nothing like Evergreen forest. There were no trees, there was a sea-salty fragrance lingering in the air, and the mute silence only reminded me that one of my closest friends was dead.

Despite the dread that the scene provided, I loved when the morning was like this. The sky was always beautiful just when the sun began to peek over the horizon, and the light breeze that fluttered my way every so often was oddly pleasing to the senses. I'd quickly taken a liking to that sea-salt smell, too. I could watch the sun rise here for hours.

"Little early to be out here isn't it?" a voice behind me asked.

I whipped my head around quickly and saw that Burke had been slowly approaching me. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Can't sleep."

He watched me for a moment, inquisitive. "This wouldn't happen to be about the pretty Eevee that you've been yammering about all night, is it?"

I arched my eyebrow, taken aback by his question. I hadn't even noticed that I was talking in my sleep. "H-how did you know she was an Eevee?"

"You were talking to a 'Kitsune', right?" his smile broadened. "Kitsune is the Japanese word for _fox_. When you're as old as I am, you learn to put the pieces together."

After a long pause, he spoke again. "I uh… I heard you talking to her."

"I did…? Huh." I tried to sound nonchalant, but my curious gaze betrayed my words. "What'd I say?"

"… Not my place to say," he breathed. "It sounded like a personal matter."  
My curiosity was at its peak now, but whatever it was, I'd have to figure it out on my own.

"All I can tell you is that when things are left unsaid, you'll come to regret them. Saying them in your dreams isn't enough."

"Huh?"

"This Eevee. You love her, don't you?" he asked suddenly.

My cheeks burned red beneath my pale fur. "W-where'd you get an idea like that? I'm not in love with anybody!"

Burke shot a knowing glance my way. "That's not what I heard last night. It seems like you really care for this 'Kitsune'."

"Of course I care about her! It was my job to protect _everyone_ in Evergreen forest. I couldn't save anyone else, but I'll die before I let Kitsune and Reiki get hurt."

The Mightyena shook his head sadly at me. "You speak of such passion for an _impending_ role in a home you no longer reside in… It's a shame, really."

"Huh?"

"Does a sentry curse himself for a tragedy that happens _before_ his duty? You can't beat yourself up over something that was out of your control – you don't want to end up like me…"

"Like you?" I echoed, clearly confused.

"… Like I went through… before I became one of _them_."

"What happened?" I asked, eyes wide with interest.

It looked like he was debating whether or not he should tell me, but after a beat he spoke up. "I was my father's only offspring," he started slowly. "Had big things planned for me when I evolved… that's when _they_ came…" I could see the rage building in his eyes as he spoke, "They wanted Zeus, but he'd disappeared that morning. No one knew where he was or where he was headed, so all of Edgewood had to pay—that's when they found me… Mind you, this was back when the Malevolent Ones were still growing; they needed warriors more badly than ever."

"So you agreed to go with them?" I blurted, finding myself oddly drawn into his story.

"They told my father that they'd either take me or kill me, and my father fought them off himself. Told me to keep running and never look back." The sadness began to show in his eyes. "They took him down in less than a minute, then came after me, but I wasn't going down without a fight. I ran almost ten miles before I was tackled and pinned into the ground."

"Then what happened?" I blurted again.

"It was Tobu." He said triumphantly. "None of those mangy poachers could manage to keep up… he had already been captured long before me, but he told me he meant no harm, to play along and I wouldn't get hurt."

"How?"

"…There's a Pokémon there who went by the name of Harvey. I don't know if he's still running with the Malevolent Ones today, but he was the one to talk to if you were there against your will."

He quickly looked around, as if he said something he shouldn't have. "He could make it so that you free will stays in tact, along with your memories. It's why I never forgot my family."

"So is he like, _undercover_?"

"No." he shook his head slowly. "He'd just… seen the error of his ways, to say the least. But don't be fooled – he could hold a mean grudge if you give him a reason to. I learned that the _hard_ way…"

"… Do I even need to ask?"

The Mightyena chuckled amusedly. "I was hoping you _would_." He showed me a patch of fur over his back that had been scarred. The fur along it was thinner and sparser than the rest, and it look like it took a hell of a long time to heal. "He's Temaki's right hand for a reason; the bastard spawned these illusions that attacked me. I thought that's all they were – just illusions. But they fight—and _kill_—like the real things."

"What'd you do to make him that mad?" I found myself asking.

Burke glanced up to the sky, staring into oblivion. "You're too young to understand."

"Huh? But I thought—"

"It's not important," he said quickly. "The moral of the story is: I blamed myself for what happened to my father; even though I was fighting against the Malevolent Ones, my mindset is just as dark and cruel as theirs now."

I tilted my head, confused, and he began to elaborate. "From that day on I vowed to get revenge on those who hurt me… all that spite did to me was evoke thoughts an adolescent like me shouldn't have… it drives you to do dark things to quell the rage inside of you… to fill the void in your heart." He looked back to me, his eyes grave. "… Don't give in to the darkness, Artemis."

I looked out to watch the slowly rising sun, pondering over what he'd just said. Could I really be thinking dark thoughts? Would it even be possible for a guardian in training? I looked back to him, holding his gaze steadily, despite the fact that I wanted to shudder. "You don't think I'm evil, do you?"

He shook his head quickly. "I have total faith in your abilities. You're a headstrong young Pokémon, all in all. I only worry that you'll become consumed with this matter. Just… take what I said into consideration, okay?"

He turned and headed away, glancing back at me one last time with eyes full of concern. I meant to tell him that I was going to be okay, but I became absorbed in the morning's waning darkness, staring with wide eyes at the panoramic sight. I'd have worried more about it, but I'm pretty sure he knew what I'd have said next.

"It's a little early for a bath, don't you think, StinkMutt?"

I hung my head in exasperation as I was able to place that voice. "I'm not in the mood, Mongrel…" I sighed.

I whipped my head around quickly to see that standing behind him were the other two Pokémon on his team. Miles and Kalix, I believe.

"We're not askin'," he replied quickly. "It's time you got canonized. C'mon, give me your best shot."

It was then that I had noticed something that had escaped me before. "Wait… did you say… bath?"

Mongrel smirked. "Yep."

If there was anything to do in that scenario, I wouldn't have thought of it. My whole body froze as the thought of being plunged into the water crept into my mind. My claws unsheathed and dug into the sandy ground. I was determined to stay right where I was, but Mongrel had other plans for me.

The Houndour lunged himself at me and I braced myself, not heaving even slightly when his torso made contact with mine. However, I was suddenly blinded by a dust of sand that had been kicked into my face, assumingly by Miles. As I tried to wipe the grainy earth from my eyes, I caught the glint of Kalix's claw and dropped to the ground, only to be tackled by Mongrel. He held me down over the edge, chuckling along with the rest of his team as I tried to squirm free. "Let me go!" I writhed. "You cowards! Why can't you fight me one-on-one?"

"Oh, _we're_ the cowards now?" Mongrel seethed. "Last time I checked, you were the one skipping out on the rest of the guild in the middle of the night."

"What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere!" I shouted, trying to talk some sense into the crazy mutt.

"Right," he voiced sarcastically. "Who sneaks out after midnight to _not_ go anywhere? I was born at night, but it wasn't _last_ night. I bet you were just about to slink away to your mommy and daddy when we came along."

I'm not sure why I said it, but the words just spilled out of me. "Even if I _wanted_ to abandon the guild, where would I go? My dad's dead, and my mom abandoned me when I was a pup. I _have_ no home."

I shut my eyes and waited to be shoved from the cliff. However, after a few seconds, I felt Mongrel's grip on me ease and he stepped back. Miles and Kalix couldn't believe what they were seeing. Frankly, neither could I.

"Boss what's up? You're just going to let him go?" Miles asked. "I thought we were canonizing him?"

"I agree," Kalix nodded. "How can we trust his loyalty to the guild without a right of passage? If he can't handle us, how can he handle being on a rescue team?"

He met his teammates' curious gazed steadily, a hard look in his eyes. "The point of canonizing Pokémon is to make sure they won't scram when things get tough. StinkMutt obviously couldn't leave if he wanted to. We have no reason to question his loyalty."

Both of them stood there, mouths agape, while I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe Mongrel was finally taking a liking to me after all.

Mongrel spoke again, this time with a teasing smirk that reached across his face. "The one we _really_ need to canonize is the Riolu. We'll get him tomorrow morning."

Then again… maybe not.

* * *

The sun was finally beginning to emerge from the horizon when I'd come limping into our room. I looked back to my three roommates. They were all still sound asleep, snoozing in their individual straw beds. Not long after I had come into my room for a rest had I heard the clumsy footsteps from none other than Loudred.

"Get up, already! It's—" Loudred ceased his shouting to watch me in disbelief. "Y-you're up? THIS early?"

I nodded mutely. "I used to wake up earlier than this back where I lived…"

That was a lie. I'd waken up about the same time back home, maybe even later. Truth was, he caught me at a bad time. Though, it wasn't like I was going to sleep anytime soon. Getting jumped by three Pokémon can do that to you. I'm okay, though—or at least, I _think_ so.

"Well, okay then," Loudred mused. "That usually doesn't happen around here."

Having nothing left to say, I shrugged with a false smile. "Yup. That's me."

He began to rub the back of his neck awkwardly and I sighed to myself. _Arceus_, _I'll never fit in here…_

He then turned to the three still sleeping Pokémon suddenly louder and more brash than he had been before. "YOU THREE! GET UP!"

He stormed out of the room without another word.

"There go my eardrums…" Reiki griped.

Ramón sat up, rubbing his face drowsily. "You'll get used to it." He turned to me curiously. "Oh, you're up?"

I nodded mutely, staring out into a void space from my window opening.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine."

"You don't seem like it."

"Trust me – I'm alright," I said again, growing annoyed at his persistence. "Now don't we have somewhere to be?"

Chester, who had been checking his eardrums, had finally spoken up. "Artemis is right. We'll be late for the morning address if we don't hurry up."

Ramón nodded. "Right."

The three of them began to trot through the hall while I walked behind, a slight limp in my step after last night's assault.

...

"_And three! Smiles go for miles!"_

"_Alright, Pokémon. Time to get to work~!" _

"_Hooray!" _

The mass of Pokémon known as the novice guild members dispersed into various locations for whatever tasks awaited them today. All that was left was team hailstorm, along with the other apprentices, who waited for something I was not yet aware of.

"So where do we go for rescue missions?" I asked curiously.

"Heh, so here's the thing," Ramón said, rubbing the back of his neck guiltily. "We're kind of… not qualified to go on missions yet."

I stared at the pair incredulously for a long moment. "…_Please_ tell me that was another one of your lame jokes."

"Heh-heh, nope," he chuckled nervously.

"But we only have one more class before we're eligible for jobs," Chester cut in. "We'll be a full-fledged rescue team by tomorrow, promise!"

Reiki sighed. "So what class do we have to take?"

"Battle training. It runs 'till winter, but when we pass the exams today, we'll head right out. We've accepted the job and everything."

"If we pass." Ramón added. "Testing's pretty fierce. If you fail, you have to wait almost a month to retake the test."

"Sounds Brutal," the Riolu mused.

"You have no idea."

"Ramón!" a voice scolded as it grew nearer. "You're not trying to frighten the apprentices, are you?"

"Err—no sir!" Ramón shouted, saluting the silver Haunter that approached. "Uh, Sorry Mr Powell. It won't happen again."

The Haunter nodded, watching Reiki and I with stern eyes. "I should hope not…" he said slowly.

He made his way to the front of the room, immediately attracting the attention of each apprentice that had been waiting. I guest that was what everyone was waiting for…

"Welcome, apprentices," he began, "to the Combat training exam. I hope you've all been training with Master Marowak these past few days; failing my exam will be the difference in going on missions and staying behind for sentry duty."

He paused to eye the crowd, smiling particularly at a Pokémon who'd been obscured in my vision. "Is there anyone who'd like to battle first?" he asked. I'm sure he knew which Pokémon would step up first, but was slightly disappointed in who had came instead.

"I'd like to go first," a Snivy said.

I didn't recognize her, but I'm sure I would have if I did meet her previously. She wore a dark brown bow over her head, and had an icy stare that even _I_ made an effort to evade.

"Very well," the haunter nodded. "Aria, I'd like you to step forward as well."

A Pikachu with a blue snapback cap came to the front of the gathering and watched Mr Powell nervously. "I'd like you two to test your strengths against one another."

They both nodded respectfully, turning to face each other. Then, almost as if on a cue I never noticed, they began to brawl. Aria leaped in Scipio's direction, but the Snivy was too fast. She dodged the attack gracefully, then launched a wave of razor sharp leaves of every color in the Pikachu's direction. Having no time to recoil from her first failed attempt, Aria ducked to keep low, missing each magical leaf by less than a hair. The attack resulted in losing her hat, but it didn't seem as if she'd noticed. She lunged again at Scipio, this time charging tail-first, but missed. Scipio leapt sideways to evade her and gripped the Pikachu with her vine whip attack, lifting her from the ground.

She began to squeeze at Aria, a smart tactic if one is looking to wear out an enemy. Aria began to kick around helplessly while the rest of us watched in suspense, but in a dash of quick thinking she discharged the last of her energy into an electrical attack that trailed down Scipio's vines and to her body. The electricity must have been pretty strong; Scipio's grip released on Aria and she stood there, paralyzed. Having already won the battle, the Pikachu traipsed over to Scipio and pinned her down.

"I think we all know who won this one," Mr Powell said, a hint of amusement in his voice.

His words were met with smiling chuckles and snickers. Aria took her place in the crowd, being congratulated by an Oshawott and Riolu, who seemed more than happy to see that she wasn't hurt. Scipio was given a strange berry and she immediately perked up, scowling as she looked away in defeat. She stomped over to the crowd, making her way to the back and to her room. "Great battle!" Ramón nearly shouted, holding his paw up for a high-five. The disgruntled Snivy glared him down and pushed by, not saying a word to either of us.

"Who was that…?" I asked.

"Oh, that's Scipio," Chester said with a wry grin. "Ramón's crushing on her _big time_."

The Pikachu burned with rage. "She is not!" he protested. "We just happen to be really good friends."

"Yeah," Reiki said sarcastically. "Arceus _himself_ couldn't tear the two of you apart."

"Enough chatter," Mr Powell said, hushing the lot of us. "Who would like to go next?"

Mongrel stepped forward next. "If I may, I'd like to battle with the apprentice of my choice."

A smirk twitched at his lips, and I nearly face-pawed. I could tell where this was going.

"Ah, anything for my star pupil," he said, almost gushing. "Who is it that you would like to battle, William?"

His name was William? Ha, I thought it would be something more intimidating that would match his tough-guy physique. "Ha!" I managed to laugh aloud.

As soon as the sound escaped me, I covered my mouth with one paw. He glanced back to me and glowered, but resumed. "With your permission, I'd like to test my strength against the Riolu of team Hailstorm. As a new recruit, I'm curious as to how capable of battle he truly is."

Reiki's eyes widened in horror, and I couldn't help but feel a similar pang of alarm in his words. Both his arms had been bandaged, and I doubt he'd be able to match up against a Pokémon like Mongrel. I jumped up, words spilling out of me without the consent of my rational mind. "Mr Powell! I'd like to take Reiki's place! Please let me battle on his behalf."

Mongrel glared after me with a growl as I stepped forward, and I returned the gesture, sticking my tongue out childishly as an added measure. The silver Haunter looked my way curiously as I stood there. "Can I ask why you're taking the Riolu's place?" he asked inquisitively.

"Well, he's hurt – Reiki's in no condition to fight; I'm responsible for his well-being, so it's my _obligation_ to battle on his behalf."

The haunter shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I'm sure there was some kind of cue I should have been waiting for to attack, but I stood there, uncertain until the Haunter glanced my way with a weird look on his face and I suddenly got the urge to leap at Mongrel.

However, I hesitated, and he leapt first. I froze again, the images of my dream burning through my mind, and stood there, ready to meet his tackle.

He collided with my chest and I didn't budge even slightly, but my back leg buckled and I doubled over. The Houndour pinned me over quickly and began to count loudly, mocking me. "One! Two! Th—" that's when I'd had enough. I poised both my back legs under his belly and thrusted him upward with what little strength I had. He went soaring overhead, and I scrambled over to pin him before he could find the energy to regain himself.

"Hey! He's cheating! Where the heck is Devin?!" Miles whined, pointing my way furiously.

I glanced over my shoulder in a split second to see that Mr Powell was in fact missing. It sent a pang of disappointment my way; I would've liked to see the look on his face when he saw how easily I'd bested his "Star Pupil".

The Houndour began thrashing under me, but I pressed my bulky paw over the back of his neck, just as I'd seen my father do, and his flailing movements became futile wriggling. _'Without the neck there is no leverage…' _my father's voice dictated within me.

I stood there for a good minute, pinning Mongrel into the ground, waiting for someone to give me some sort of cue to stop. It was a little weird that nobody had counted off for me; even more so that I'd had one of the strongest apprentices pinned and helpless on the ground. I thought his teammates would come to his rescue and beat me up or something, but they merely watched in shock and amazement. For a moment, I was actually proud of myself; something I hadn't experienced since Evergreen was raided.

"Quit it, you fraud!" Miles shouted again. "Don't make me have to go over there!" he kept shouting angrily at me until I tuned him out completely, watching the defenseless body under me squirm.

When I ignored his hoarse barking, he took up another form of heckling. He bit into my tail and pulled me backward. My back leg gave out again and I fell awkwardly to the ground. Miles stood over me with a smirk and I heard Mongrel shout something, but it was drowned out by the sound of the sadistic Poochyena's yelping as he was head-butted by a familiar Eevee.

Matthew glanced over his shoulder with a smile and I nodded in thanks, getting to my feet quickly. "Consider us even," he said quickly, pouncing onto Miles once again. He quickly got the Poochyena into a choke hold and Miles writhed in his grip. I winced as I placed my right hind leg onto the floor, the pain ripping through my muscles and up to my joints in a split second. Miles had probably aggravated the injury – though I didn't think it had been all too serious to begin with.

When I set my gaze to the center of the scene, I noticed that Kalix had also joined in on the action. Reiki was quick to stop her from making her way towards me. I dipped my head respectfully as he gave me an affectionate smile. I knew Reiki would have my back no matter what. It always felt good when I was proven right. Chester and Ramón were just about to step in and help when a psychotic Zangoose jumped into the fray, extending his claws and leaping after me. I ducked, losing my balance (courtesy of my sprained ankle) and fell on my rear. It was a good thing, too. The second that the Zangoose came in for a landing, he was tackled by a flash of white. When I noticed Chester standing triumphantly at my side, I felt a pang of guilt at my helpless state. I was supposed to be the one protecting everyone; it wasn't supposed to end up the other way around. I looked left to right cautiously, noticing something that hadn't dawned on me before. "Hey… where's Ramón?"

Chester smirked, eyeing the Zangoose carefully as the dangerous creature got to his feet. "You'll see."

I didn't know what it meant, but since I was the odd man in all of this, I ran for the first Pokémon I thought needed help. Matthew was matching against Miles nicely, countering each attack the Poochyena threw his way, despite Miles' dirty fighting style; Reiki was actually getting the better of Kalix, dodging her attacks swiftly and retaliating with fairly strong fists. I never knew how capable of fighting so gracefully. My assumptions were perfectly justified, though – I've never seen Reiki in a battle back home. He was always the one to sit in the back, eating whatever snack he brought with him and jeering the other students during training.

When he hit the Gabite with a force palm, my jaw nearly dropped. She doubled over in pain, and I could see the resentment in her eyes. That's when I realized team Hailstorm didn't need my help as much as I thought they did.

I watched him in awe, finally becoming aware of myself when Chester was knocked back viciously by the Zangoose. I quaked nervously at the psychopath as he inched closer to the two of us, knowing I didn't have the strength to take him on myself. Then, almost as if on a cue in some action movie, Ramón strutted into my line of sight with a sharp, glistening rod of steel. He held the sword outward, as if he were a fencing prodigy, keeping the Zangoose at bay. "Back off, Slater!" he demanded, thrusting the sword further outward. "You don't want a piece of me and _Baby_."

There was an awkward silence between the four of us, and I watched the Pikachu curiously, hoping that was a joke. "…You named your sword '_Baby'_?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"It's just… not fitting for a sword. I was hoping you'd say something like _Avenger_, or—"

"Hey, we're in the middle of a standoff, if you haven't noticed!" Chester cut in.

"Oh, right," Ramón breathed. "Like I said: Back off, Slit—I mean Slater."

The Zangoose smirked, his dark eyes glowing eerily in the light. "You wouldn't dare harm me; you're too chicken. You might as well put your _toy_ down before someone gets hurt."

"You wanna bet?" he countered darkly.

"Go ahead; hit me." He extended his arms and held his head high, daring Ramón to make a move. "It'll be the last move you ever make," he added dangerously.

"_Damn it,"_ I thought.

I knew Ramón didn't have it in him to wound another Pokémon, especially if they were playing on the same team. I watched as he debated within himself, glancing to Slater and back to his blade. "Ramón, you don't have to prove anything—"

"You'd better have a good reason for bringing that weapon out of your quarters, Ramón."

The three of us snapped around quickly to see the Silver haunter glaring down at us, arms folded crossly and a disappointed glower on his face. Almost immediately, everyone in the guild stopped moving, watching as the mentor took a look at each Pokémon on the battle field. "Miles, Matthew, Kalix, Chester, Reiki, Ramón, Artemis, and… William?"

The Houndour seemed to shrink under Devin's eyes, and for a brief moment, I actually felt bad for him. "Please tell me you aren't to blame for this fiasco," he said tiredly.

Mongrel hung his head. "I wasn't a part of this mess, Mr Powell, but I take full responsibility. It was my team who attacked Artemis, and I didn't chastise their decision. Team hailstorm was only protecting their leader, as my team had done." He spoke slowly, as if he were choosing his words extra carefully. "If you're going to punish anyone, punish me for not having control over my own team."

I eyed the Houndour suspiciously, not sure if I was willing to believe him. His words were noble, but his character was insincere and dominative; I'd have thought he was plea bargaining for a lighter punishment if I didn't know him better.

Devin nodded. "I know full well that your intentions were pure, but both your teams are responsible for this." His tone changed from gentle to stern. "I expected more from you, William; I thought I could trust you while I was away. I'm ashamed of all of you— and since team Hailstorm and team Brute cannot coexist peacefully in the guild without supervision, I'm going to _make_ you get along in a dungeon."

I glanced around anxiously at the lot of us, noticing that the Zangoose had slipped away and that Matthew seemed jarred at the thought of traveling with us. Crap. So much for resting on my hurt leg…

He handed us a letter that had been ripped from its bindings and handed it to Mongrel, who read it carefully. "You want us to accept this job? I thought we were picking our own."

The Haunter shook his head. "There is a clan of Eeveelutions who are in league with the Malevolent Ones; this Pokémon in particular is the 'errand boy'. He is relied on for his evasiveness, and knows we're after him."

"How does he know—?"

"Word's getting around that we're looking for their leader; it's only natural that one with the most ties to a practically invisible organization will be questioned first," Mongrel explained, cutting my question short.

Devin smiled at that. "Matthew will be excused from this endeavor, as it seems his team has no part in this feud. The rest of you, begin preparing for your mission; you leave in an hour."

I wanted to debate the punishment on account of the pain in my hind leg, but he was gone in an instant. I'd have to grit my teeth through the rest of this day; I doubt I'd be let off that easy anyways."We're gonna need a safe word, for when things get tough out there in a dungeon," Miles said abruptly, bringing me from my thoughts.

"What'd you have in mind?" I asked, figuring I might as well humor him before he tries to bite me again.

He paused for a long moment, looking left to right as if he were about to tell me something confidential. "…Pineapples."

"…what's a pineapple?" Ramón asked, staring at the Poochyena blankly.

"Will you two quit chattering mindlessly?" Mongrel growled. "Let's move; we're wasting time."

Team Brute began to take off, Miles following at the back with his tail low. "…Buzzkill," he grumbled.

My shoulders dropped and I let out an exasperated sigh; today was going to be the longest, most strenuous day ever. I noticed Ramón, Reiki and Chester watching me, almost waiting for me to lead them off. I don't know how they expected me to do that when my mind was so clouded with other things.

"let's go," I sighed.

The three of them nodded and began to take to the ladder, each one swiftly crawling up the ladder. I stared at the wooden menace in horror, wondering how the hell I was going to get up there without putting pressure on my leg.

Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet on this one, too…

* * *

"Finally," I huffed. "The pit. We're almost there."

Crawling through the darkness with your mortal enemies and a sprained ankle isn't as fun when you drag it on for five hours. Countless arguments, Reiki's complaining, Mongrel's shouting; If Miles says "So is your face," _one more time_, I'm going to lose it.

"Don't get comfortable, StinkMutt," Mongrel barked. "We still have to apprehend this outlaw, then take him back to the guild for questioning."

He motioned for his teammates to stop, but team Hailstorm found themselves halting as well. He looked at me, puzzled. "What are you doing? Get outta here."

I tilted my head, even more confused. "Why? We're supposed to be exploring together."

"_We're_ going to wait here in case the target tries to flee. You all go on ahead and chase him out – we'll take him down together."  
He gave me a hard look. "Now take charge of your team and do what I say."

Wow. Ironic. "Take charge of _my_ team?"

"Uh, _yeah_. Who would the leader of the team be, Chester?" he asked sarcastically, then looked over to Chester, who was giving him a death-glare. "No offence dude, but you're pretty passive-aggressive."

Chester face-pawed and I chuckled to myself as I noticed that for once, Ramón wasn't the one to trigger it.

"Now get going," he snapped. "I'm starving, and if I have to eat another apple I'm renouncing fruit completely."

I nodded, for once not feeling spite in the slightest, and the three of us headed to the end of the cavern. We finally reached the end of the cave, eyeing the Umbreon who was standing at the rear, back arched and ready for battle. His gaze lingered on the four of us, sizing us up, until it fell on Ramón. Surprisingly (and seriously unexpectedly), his tone turned pleasant and he eased from his attack stance. "Hey hey, it's Zeus! I thought you were dead! How you been, buddy?"

Ramón tilted his head inquisitively at the outlaw. "Do I… know you?"

The Umbreon looked hurt. "Come on, it's me! Your old pal Vito!" He cautiously stepped around us to Ramón, inspecting his flank. "See? Right there – that's the scar you got the day you got … uh… _lost_."

Practically in unison, we all looked to Ramón's shoulder, spying the long, thin scar that traced down to his back. "That's where they nik'd you – right on the shoulder. The scar almost bled out before I got you out of Edgewood."

"Edgewood… jungle?" he asked.

"Yeah, you passed out…I had to, uh… drag you to some Absol herd so they wouldn't get you." His voice went from concerned to cheery in seconds, and he motioned to the rear of the room to show us a huge, pink crystal that seemed to glisten, even in the dark. "I thought I was gonna have to douse you four to get you outta here, but it's you! I can't believe it!"

"Hey! You five! Get away from that!" Mongrel growled, stepping toward us quickly. "Stupidity _isn't_ on the job description!"

"Relax, _William_," Ramon teased, trying to impress his new friend. Mongrel snarled at this, but the Pikachu continued. "We're not touching anything; relax – it's not like we're breaking the _law_."

The Houndour edged closer, anger burning in his eyes. "If you even so much as _touch_ that Crystal, I swear to Arceus I'll—"

"Don't worry boss, I'll handle this." Miles trotted toward the lot of us and curled his lip to expose his teeth. "Go on then! Don't make _me_ press it!"

Kalix face-clawed. "Get away from that switch, you bumbling idiot…." She said tiredly. "I swear Mongrel, he's just as slow as team Hailstorm."

"Hey, you don't want a piece of me!" the Poochyena snapped back.

I glanced to Chester for guidance, but he merely shrugged. "Lover's quarrel," he said simply. "It's what happens when you put three of the biggest bullies in town on the same team."

"Hey!" Mongrel snapped. "We're not bullies!"

Reiki, who'd been surprisingly quiet the whole time, had finally spoken up. "Oh, really? You three wanted to jump Artie this morning! If that's not bullying, I don't know what is!"

I snapped my gaze to the Riolu, surprised. How did he know about that? Apparently, that's not what team Brute was focused on. "_Artie_?" they mocked, laughing their tails off. "That's what they call you?!"

The three of them laughed there, completely oblivious to where we were, watching me as I glowered at Mongrel in particular. _Boy, and I thought StinkMutt was bad_… "_Ha_ _ha_, very funny. You guys finished laughing now? This is growing tiresome."

"Yeah," Ramón agreed, leaning against the giant amethyst crystal. "This is—"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sharp click that filled the darkened cavern, and soon enough, the ground beneath us began to tremble.

"You moron," Kalix shouted. "Look what you've done!"

Almost as if on a cue, a massive wave of water came rushing in through the right flank. Everyone made a mad dash for the other side of the room, but I couldn't move. The wave towered over me menacingly, and I shrank beneath it, finally remembering what had stirred me in my dream. I was brought from my thoughts at the shrill shouting of Miles, who kept barking, "Pineapples! Pineapples! Pinapples!"

It crashed to the floor like thunder, leaving me paralyzed in fear, when all of a sudden, a dark figure ran in front of me, bracing himself for the water's impact. As noble as the gesture was, a hundred thousand gallons of water carries a crap-load of inertia, and Mongrel and I were swept away with the water in an instant.

* * *

**For anyone interested, there's a poll going up for the next chapter. Since I'm working from memory, I have to re-plan all of my future chapters. T.T A very painstaking process when your attention span is as short as mine. Anyways, you can vote to choose which characters' POV you'd like the next chapter to be in so that there's no delay. ^.^ And keep on the lookout for a special one-shot that'll be going out soon, filled with epic randomness, and a special appearance by Hugh Heffner as a Slowbro. XD I'll explain later.**


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